UBC Geography PhD student Seth Wynes’ study on greenhouse gas emissions from faculty travel at UBC has been featured on CBC.
Wynes has found that carbon emissions from the flights of UBC employees equate to between half and two-thirds of UBC’s annual campus emissions.
“What’s really needed is institutional change or larger cultural change,” he told CBC.
“We are leaders, in universities, in terms of the culture of our society but also in terms of all of the students that pass through and learn what professional norms are.”
The study makes several recommendations, including offering more comprehensive video conferencing options, tracking air travel emissions as part of financial management systems and requiring that all travel be economy class.
Professor Brett Eaton has also vowed to reduce his air travel.
“Confronted with record breaking floods, wildfires and other climate-related challenges to human society, I decided to stop flying whenever possible,” he said.
You can read the article in full on the CBC website.
