Low-Carbon Research and Teaching in Geography: Pathways and Perspectives

Abstract

Universities and research centers are major producers of greenhouse gas emissions. There are growing calls from within the university sector for more proactive approaches to reducing the emissions associated with research and teaching and to contribute more to climate change mitigation. These debates have considered both the campus-based emissions of universities with large estates and the travel-related emissions associated with international staff and student communities. There is therefore an increasingly acute tension between universities’ imperative to foster international networks and expand research and teaching on the one hand and their moral obligations to decarbonize on the other hand. In this article, we consider how academic departments can navigate this challenging paradox. Our study is based on an analysis of the Department of Geography at Durham University in the United Kingdom. We examine the major sources of emissions associated with this department and find that by far the largest contribution comes from air travel for staff research and student field trips. We then explore student perspectives and consider potential pathways toward a low-carbon model of research and teaching. Overall, we find a high level of support for decarbonization in the academy and potential for significant emissions reductions with minimal impact on quality of research and teaching.

大学和研究中心是温室气体排放的主要生产者。大学内部有越来越多的呼声, 要求采取更加积极主动的方法, 减少研究和教学的排放, 为缓解气候变化做出更多贡献。这些辩论既考虑了拥有大型房产的大学校园排放, 也考虑了国际工作人员和国际学生的旅行排放。一方面, 大学需要培育国际联络、扩大研究和教学。另一方面, 大学有去碳化的道德义务。这两者存在着日益严重的矛盾。本文探讨了学术部门如何对待这一具有挑战性的悖论。本研究基于对英国达勒姆大学地理系的分析。我们检查了地理系的主要排放源, 发现到目前为止, 主要是员工研究和学生实地考察的航空旅行。研究了学生的观点, 并考虑了低碳研究和教学模式的可能途径。总体来说, 我们发现学术界对去碳化的支持程度很高, 并且有可能在对研究和教学质量影响最小的情况下实现大幅减排。

Las universidades y los centros de investigación son generadores importantes de emisiones de gases con efecto invernadero. Hay crecientes llamadas de atención desde el sector universitario por enfoques más proactivos que reduzcan las emisiones asociadas con investigación y enseñanza, que más contribuyan a la mitigación del cambio climático. Estos debates han tomado en cuenta tanto las emisiones generadas en los campus de universidades que tienen extensos espacios de terreno como las emisiones relacionadas con viajes internacionales del personal y de las comunidades de estudiantes. Existe, entonces, una tensión cada vez más aguda entre el imperativo de las universidades por fortalecer las cadenas internacionales y ampliar la investigación y la enseñanza, por un lado, y sus obligaciones morales de descarbonización, por el otro. En este artículo consideramos cómo pueden manejar esta desafiante paradoja los departamentos académicos. Nuestro estudio se basa en un análisis del Departamento de Geografía de la Universidad de Durham, en el Reino Unido. Examinamos las principales fuentes de emisiones asociadas con este departamento y encontramos que hasta el momento la contribución más grande proviene del viaje aéreo de investigadores y salidas de campo de estudiantes. Después exploramos las perspectivas de los estudiantes y consideramos rutas posibles hacia un modelo de investigación y enseñanza bajo en carbono. En general, se pudo establecer un alto nivel de apoyo a la descarbonización en la academia y un buen potencial de reducciones significativas en las emisiones con un impacto mínimo sobre la calidad de la investigación y la enseñanza.

Key Words:

• climate change
• low carbon
• sustainability
• transitions
• universities

关键词：:

• 气候变化
• 低碳
• 可持续性
• 转型
• 大学。

Palabras clave::

• bajas emisiones de carbono
• cambio climático
• sustentabilidad
• transiciones
• universidades

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all of the participants in the survey and focus groups. We very much enjoyed working with all our participants as students, peers, and friends between 2017 and 2020, and their perspectives have been integral in shaping this article. This study was prompted by discussions within Durham Geography and we are grateful to the Departmental Management Group for encouragement and discussion of some of the policy issues surrounding the department’s carbon footprint. Our particular thanks go to Mike Bentley for his valuable input and encouragement, both in the initial discussions that led to this article and for his comments on the first draft. Finally, we thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and Heejun Chang for guidance throughout the review process.

Notes

1 This was calculated using internally approved travel requests and the atmosfair online calculator (see https://www.atmosfair.de/en/offset/flight).

2 Based on Defra greenhouse gas conversion factors, train travel produces 16 percent of the emissions of short-haul flights.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joe Williams

JOE WILLIAMS was Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol, UK, at the time this article was drafted and is now a Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University, Wales CF10 3WA, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include urban political ecology, water and energy infrastructure, and climate change.

Whitney Love

WHITNEY LOVE is a Postgraduate Student studying global sustainability solutions at the University of Exeter, Truro, Cornwall TR3 6XB, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include climate change, environmental policy, and sustainable aviation.