Reducing the carbon footprint from academic air travel
Worldwide CO2 emissions have to be dramatically reduced and universities have a responsibility to address their carbon footprints. The Faculty of Law, in cooperation with the Maastricht Sustainability Institute, brought together experts to investigate the policy approaches that are needed.
When looking at the carbon footprint of universities, one activity stands out—air travel for academic purposes. The aim of the workshop was to investigate the best practices regarding the reduction and compensation of carbon emissions and to explore options for establishing acceptable offsetting mechanisms within the academic world.
Shortly after this workshop, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and that resulted in a dramatic change in academic pursuits with a sudden decline in travelling. The issue of minimising aviation emissions will still be relevant after recovery from the pandemic, but the insights gained during the workshop may also be relevant for addressing the enormous increase of greenhouse gas emissions caused by ICT services.
For more information, read the blog post on academic air travel and climate-friendly behaviour from Prof. Marjan Peeters, Professor of Environmental Policy and Law and coordinator of the workshop.
View the workshop programme
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The two-day conference took place at Maastricht University’s Campus Brussels.
The organising committee included Prof. Marjan Peeters (coordinator), Dr. Caroline Cauffman and Prof. Liesbeth Lijnzaad from the UM Faculty of Law, Prof. Marc Davidson from the Maastricht Sustainability Institute.
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