Chapter 14: Seeking A Sustainable Study Abroad Future

Is international mobility through study abroad a sustainable educational practice? What are the consequences of student mobility on local communities, their economies, and environment? How are the consequences measured and accounted for? What are the implications for climate change from the air travel required to reach the locations around the globe where programs take place? Practitioners and participants of study abroad are asking these questions and for good reason. International mobility through study abroad and the travel it requires contributes significantly to global carbon emissions, which has major implications for climate change. Students traveling the world for education opportunities become transient residents of communities both contributing to and sometimes significantly shaping local economies, while at the same time drawing upon local resources thus impacting local environments. These issues are complex and require unique skills and perspective to understand. Paradoxically, the benefits of international student mobility are important in that they help develop the skills, attitudes, and perspective needed to tackle these complex, often global issues. How can study abroad become more sustainable and account for the effects on our climate and local communities? What are the actions that institutions, organizations, and individuals can take and have taken to address the impacts of study abroad? And what does a more sustainable future look like for UW Study Abroad in confronting both how it contributes to but also can examine and provide solutions to the consequences of these issues? This chapter explores these questions while presenting some possible paths forward.