The Climate Action Network for International Educators (CANIE) Accord
The climate crisis is growing ever more urgent, and it is crucial to recognise the role of the international education sector in it. The time for action is now. That’s why the EAIE signed on to the CANIE Accord, which demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthen and speed up our sector’s response to the global climate crisis.
Status: Ongoing
Period: November 2021–Present
Context
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 necessity and the chance for our sector to step up and take action. In November 2021, CANIE organised a meeting bringing together various leaders in international education associations and organisations to collaboratively formulate the sector’s climate ambitions and commit to taking action. This meeting resulted in the CANIE Accord.
Content
The EAIE became one of the first signatories of the CANIE Accord, which signifies the shared commitment of the international education sector to align with scientific recommendations and worldwide climate agreements. One of the strengths of the Accord is that it includes concrete and detailed actions that organisations can take to reduce their carbon footprint, minimise environmental harm and actively work towards regenerating the planet. The EAIE has committed to the following six actions:
- Embed climate action in organisational missions and strategies, policies and frameworks including official strategic documents
- Promote and commemorate commitment to this Accord
- Replace physical meetings with online ones when possible and logical
- Implement flexible and equitable work from home options
- When catering, use plant-based, locally sourced ingredients and eliminate single-use plastics; opt for compostable or other biodegradable alternatives
- Include climate action as a theme at conferences and events.
At its core, the EAIE’s 2026 Strategy focuses on social responsibility 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 selecting 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. The EAIE will also be partnering with CANIE to promote and provide information for travelling more sustainably to future EAIE conferences.