The ethics of travel

By Nick Hughes, Bartlett Faculty Lead for Climate Action

The rains failed and the crops withered in the fields. After months of drought the President declared the situation a national disaster. I was in Zambia, working on research in support of Zambia’s ambitions to develop a programme of resilient, inclusive and climate compatible development. But should I have been there?

At The Bartlett, we are committed to ambitious action on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions arising from our operations, in line with UCL targets. 

One of the most challenging and complex areas in which to take serious action on emissions is in relation to the travel we do as part of our research, teaching and professional activities. That’s why since last year we have been carrying out a Faculty-wide consultation on developing a sustainable travel policy that reflects our commitment to cut our emissions, without compromising the global impact of our research and teaching.

As an outward facing institution with deep concerns for global justice, travel is significantly intertwined with much of the work we do, including undertaking field work, collaborating with partners in other countries, or taking students on field trips. However, this same concern for global justice should also make us think about other kinds of impacts that our activities can have, including through their contribution to climate change. In the words of the IPCC, climate change “has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people.” This is an issue of global justice, particularly because “vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected.”

The Bartlett is not alone in thinking about this dilemma. A growing number of academics and institutions are reconsidering the ethics of academic travel in the context of climate change.

Decarbonising travel is not easy. Whilst for relatively short journeys, choosing a low-carbon form of travel such as rail may pose few trade-offs, as distances become longer, so the overland routes become more complicated and often more expensive – though not without compensations for intrepid travellers. But as travel becomes inter-continental in range, low carbon options slide from view entirely – the dream of zero emission air travel remains some way off. For now, the only way to cut the emissions from these journeys would be to avoid taking them.

This is the challenge that we have been trying to face up to over the last few months – how to cut travel emissions without compromising the work of The Bartlett. There are no easy answers, and the process is still ongoing. However, this is a good moment to report on where we have got to.

We have been working on a report that will make recommendations towards developing and implementing a sustainable travel policy in The Bartlett. Because of the significance of travel to the work of The Bartlett, we felt it was crucial that the report should be informed by a Faculty-wide consultation. All staff and students were invited to take part in this consultation – we created an online survey, and also gave the option of taking part in an in-person discussion. Additionally, a small number of one-to-one interviews took place, on request, with some staff who had wished to attend the in-person discussion but were not available at the time it took place. The Faculty’s Net-Zero Advisory Group (NZAG), which is comprised of a staff representative of each of The Bartlett’s departments, plus a representative of Sustainable UCL and a Bartlett student representative, also monitored and commented on the process at every stage, and the draft report has been discussed by The Bartlett Faculty Academic Leadership Team. 

The process provided a rich range of insight. Many contributors emphasised the importance of travel to their work, and expressed the view that The Bartlett’s travel policy should not compromise the integrity of this work. However, it was also clear that many in The Bartlett were already thinking about travel sustainability, and taking action. A significant majority of respondents to the online survey reported having already taken action to reduce carbon emissions from travel – this included respondents who also reported that travel was a significant part of their work. Actions included choosing lower-carbon forms of transportation, and finding ways to avoid or reduce the need to travel. 

As well as the global issue of justice in relation to climate change, contributors also emphasised the importance of fairness in the way the effort of emission reduction is shared within The Bartlett. It was observed that overly stringent prohibitions on air travel, if resulting in much longer journey times, could be unfair for those with family and caring responsibilities. Participants also recognised that, unfortunately, lower-carbon overland travel can often end up being more expensive than air travel, and that finding ways around this that do not disadvantage students and early-career researchers, would be important.

The process made clear that we need to find ways of encouraging and enabling more of our travel to be undertaken by low carbon modes where possible – whilst acknowledging that what is possible for some may not be possible for all. There may be a role for relatively clear discouragement of air travel to locations that are particularly conveniently accessible by rail – such an approach is already in place in other UCL divisions, and is being developed at departmental level by the Green Champions at The Bartlett’s own School of Environment, Energy and Resources (BSEER). However, softer measures, such as information and guidance, are also likely to be important in helping those who can to plan more complex plane-free trips, whilst acknowledging that such itineraries may not work for everyone.

Respondents also observed that online platforms now make video calls a more than adequate substitute for certain kinds of in-person meetings, and that making the most of this technology can dramatically reduce our emissions by reducing the number of trips we need to take. Where in-person or on-location activity is essential, we can still think about how to maximise the value of that travel, by thinking about who travels, for how long and for which purposes – which may help to reduce emissions over a longer timeframe.

The results of the consultation also emphasised the value of sustainable travel planning. Rather than only thinking about sustainability at the moment of buying a ticket – at which point there are likely to be relatively few options available – the more we can think about sustainable travel as part of overall project planning, the more potential we may have to identify beneficial synergies that enable us to do excellent work in a more sustainable way, and reduce painful trade-offs, including in relation to costs.

The draft report is now available to members of The Bartlett to read. The Bartlett community is invited to provide comments on the report using this form. These comments will be taken into account as we look to further nuance the ideas discussed in the report, and to develop a comprehensive, inclusive, and sustainable travel policy. We ultimately hope to get to a stage where we can share the results of this process more widely, for the interest of other organisations considering similar questions. 

I am very grateful for the voluntary contributions of everyone who has taken part in this process so far, and for the seriousness and good faith with which they have contributed. I would like to thank the previous Dean Professor Christoph Lindner, and current Interim Dean Professor Jacqui Glass for their support; the Net Zero Advisory Group and the Faculty Academic Leadership Team for perceptive and constructive comments on the report; and everyone who took part in the online survey, in person discussion, or other elements of the consultation process.

Lead image credit: Eva Darron on Unsplash