I, like many other university students from across the world, will be participating in an Academic Exchange to the United Kingdom. This will, of course, involve travel. In my case, it will consist of air travel and travel by road.
Travel and sustainability are of great importance, the emissions caused by air- and car-travel are responsible for a large part of the climate crisis, leading to effects such as smog or global warming with great effects on the environment and human health. These effects are especially worrying for members of younger generations, such as my own, as we will likely live to see and deal with the ramifications.
One of the simplest choices I have made is to only use public transport while in the United Kingdom. Using public transport is a quick and accessible way to cut down on one’s CO2-emmissions. I have made the same effort in my home country, despite having had a drivers license for several years now I use public transport or sustainable transportation, such as a bicycle, whenever possible, even when this takes up more time.
The main choice I made regarding sustainability is to follow the Environmental Economics Course offered by my host university. I am hoping this course will help me better understand the difference I can make in the future, equipping me with the knowledge I need to help protect and foster the environment while working for a business. This fits well with the UN sustainability goals of ‘Decent Work and Economic Growth’ which calls out sustainable economic growth as an important factor in achieving said goal.
I hope that the course will inform me how one can attempt to protect the environment while still operating a business that seeks to be profitable. This seems important since a lot of pollution is caused by companies.
If it does, this will mean my international placement will be directly tied to any future sustainability efforts I create or take part in in the future, making my international placement very eco-friendly.
