University support for virtual climate action summit
18 May 2020
The International Office at the University of Auckland is proud to sponsor the International Education Climate Action Summit 2020, a virtual event to catalyse climate action.
With climate change very much front of mind for students and education institutions the world over, the University of Auckland is pleased to support the International Education Climate Action Summit 2020.
Organised by CANIE – the Climate Action Network for International Educators – a grassroots initiative founded by international education providers from around the world, the summit is a free event to be held entirely online on Thursday 21 May.
The summit seeks to ignite conversations and thinking about the environmental impact of international education, so individuals can be empowered to effect change within their own institutions. This acknowledges the urgent need for the community to find ways of mitigating the effects of student mobility on global climate change, with a previous reliance on air travel for study abroad and student recruitment creating a large carbon footprint.
Brett Berquist, Director International at the University of Auckland, will speak on a panel discussing how Covid-19 could be viewed as an opportunity for international educators to press the reset button and transition into a more sustainable future. The panellists, including Rebecca Hall of Austrade, Corey Peterson from the University of Tasmania, and session Chair Stephen Connelly, Director of GlobalEd Services, hope to inspire participants to come up with creative solutions to drive future change within the international education sector.
Recently, the University of Auckland retained its position as #1 in the world for the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings for the second year in a row since the establishment of the ranking. This significant result recognises the University's commitment to sustainability and making a positive social impact through its research and teaching.
The University also co-hosted the New Zealand Sustainable Development Goals Summit in 2019, a multi-sector national event focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals. Watch highlights from that event below.
