EAIE signs on to important climate action agreement

With the climate crisis growing ever more urgent and the impact of the international education sector increasingly evident, the time for action is now. That’s why the EAIE has signed on to the CANIE Accord, which charts concrete actions we can take to strengthen and accelerate our sector’s response to the climate crisis.

Recognising the gravity of climate change and the reality of our sector’s role in it, last month, the EAIE became one of the first signatories of the CANIE Accord. The Climate Action Network for International Educators (CANIE) is a grassroots initiative formed by international education practitioners, including EAIE members, from around the world who see the need and the opportunity for our sector to step up and act on climate. The CANIE Accord, which emerged from a November 2021 meeting of various leaders in international education associations and organisations, signifies our sector’s shared commitment to align with scientific recommendations and international climate agreements.

The greatest strength of the Accord is its enumeration of concrete and specific actions that organisations like the EAIE can take to reduce their carbon footprint, minimise environmental harm and actively work towards regenerating our shared global home. The EAIE has committed to six particular actions under the umbrella of the Accord, namely the following:

1. Embed climate action in organisational missions and strategies, policies and frameworks including official strategic documents
2. Promote and commemorate commitment to this Accord
3. Replace physical meetings with online ones when possible and logical
4. Implement flexible and equitable work from home options
5. When catering, use plant-based, locally sourced ingredients and eliminate single-use plastics; opt for compostable or other biodegradable alternatives
6. Include climate action as a theme at conferences and events

Taking action together

Social responsibility is at the core of the EAIE’s 2026 Strategy to enable the international higher education sector, demonstrate the impact of internationalisation, and influence and engage policymakers in support of our vision. Planting trees to offset carbon emissions of our conference participants, replacing single-use plastics with biodegradable and reusable alternatives, and choosing for local and sustainable catering at our events are just a few of the ways in which the EAIE has long been working towards a more sustainable international education ecosystem. Looking ahead, the EAIE will be partnering with CANIE to promote and provide information for travelling more sustainably to future EAIE conferences.

For more on how the international education sector can work towards creating change and integrating sustainability in our everyday actions, be sure to attend one of the many climate- and sustainability-related sessions at the upcoming 32nd Annual Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona.

Take a look at some of the steps we have been taking to minimise our impact and help make a difference: