Download the PDF version of the CANIE Accord. 


The complete CANIE Accord text is below:

The Signatories to this Accord,

     In pursuit of the objective of Article 2 of the Paris Agreement – established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties to the Convention at its twenty-first session – to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels,

     Affirming that international education is fundamental to fostering understanding and respect among different peoples in order to transcend borders, cultures, and languages to solve global problems,

     Recognizing that the climate crisis poses an acute threat to the economy, nature, and society,

     Acknowledging the role of the international education sector in contributing to the climate crisis and, therefore, its position as a likely decarbonization leader,

     Taking full account that organizations are in different stages of implementing actions to mitigate the effects of climate change and that commitments and actions are taking place at various levels,

     Emphasizing that climate solutions must advance justice, equity, and human rights,

    Acknowledging that transitioning to net zero emissions will be challenging and will require reevaluation of business and financial models in the context of a planet in crisis,

Have agreed as follows:


Article 1 - Definitions

For the purpose of this Accord, the following definition applies:

“Signatory” means institutes of higher education, associations, organizations, and departments whose heads have signed and committed to this Accord.


Article 2 - Commitments

The efforts of all Signatories will represent a progression over time with the focus on immediate decarbonization targets. Each action in Article 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 is presented progressively as basic, better, or best. Signatories are encouraged to commit to their highest feasible level of ambition to guide bold climate action.

Signatories commit to:

     (a) The purpose and principles of this Accord as defined in Article 3 and

     (b) A minimum of five (5) actions in no fewer than three (3) of the remaining Articles (i.e. Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8).

Article 3 - Purpose and Principles

This Accord seeks to strengthen and accelerate the response of the international education sector to the climate crisis. The principles are general statements to guide SDG 13: Climate Action in international education. The principles are a resource for organisations involved in international education to address in the context of their own operations and environment. The goal of the Accord and the principles is to support the creation of a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action today.

Principle 1: Take Immediate Action

Through our policies and practices, international education leaders and practitioners must take immediate individual and collective action to reduce emissions and mitigate negative impacts of our activities through, for example, influencing organizational vision, strategies, policies, and portfolios to align with the global ambition of net zero.

Principle 2: Collaborate, Innovate, and Educate

It is necessary to collaborate and innovate globally to build climate education within the sector to reduce our emissions while supporting the development of students’ global learning outcomes and their understanding of, and action on, climate issues.

Principle 3: Develop Climate Solutions that Advance Social Justice

Our commitment to justice, equity, and human rights compels us to develop climate solutions that aim to advance individual and collective well-being and reduce inequalities and deprivations


ARTICLE 4 - Leadership and Influencing

Basic:

1. Commit to greater levels of collaboration with other stakeholders in international education to forge a coordinated approach to accelerate climate action;

2. Advocate for accelerated climate action within Signatory’s own organisation and with other stakeholders within their sphere of influence;

3. Place climate action at the center of organizational international education strategy;

4. Embed climate action in organizational missions and strategies, policies and frameworks including official strategic documents;

5. Signatories should minimize negative financial impacts of their climate action plans on their partners;

6. Publish a climate action plan within 12 months of signing this Accord; and

7. Promote and commemorate Signatory’s commitment to this Accord.

    Better:

    8. Collaborate to design policy options to incentivise and drive climate    conscious practices across the sector. For example, through support    or funding for think tanks, research, and other new or existing initiatives;

    9. Work with partners to develop programming to increase resilience to the effects of climate change in host communities; and

    10. Identify policy options within Signatory’s scope of influence to incentivise and drive inclusive climate action across the sector.


        Best:

        11. Investigate that banking, superannuation and other financial services do not fund fossil fuel industries and advocate for, or implement, change in provider if needed;

        12. Advocate for banking, superannuation and other financial services to fund nature-based solutions and renewable energy;

        13. Encourage regulators and accreditation bodies to include climate action criteria in their standards; and

        14. Leverage Signatory’s influence to pressure major airlines and hotel chains to reduce their footprint.

          ARTICLE 5 - Emissions Accounting and Reduction

          Basic:

          15. Establish a baseline year to represent peak emissions and serve as a reference point for GHG reduction progress;

          16. Set context-appropriate decarbonization targets and timelines. Targets should represent a progression beyond the Signatory’s baseline year and reflect its highest possible ambition and shortest possible time frame;

          17. Determine context-appropriate methods of measuring GHG emissions;

          18. Account for emissions from international education activities inclusive of

            • (a) operations;
            • (b) international student academic-related travel;
            • (c) global education participant academic-related travel;
            • (d) faculty academic, research, and business travel;
            • (e) researchers’ project-related travel;
            • (f) staff and administrators’ travel; and
            • (g) student personal travel during their academic program.

            19. Establish immediate, mid-term, and long-range limits on verified carbon credit projects. Verified carbon credit project limits should be defined as percentages of baseline year emissions;

            20. Commit to not using carbon credit projects as a substitute for decarbonization measures nor as justification for delaying emissions reductions;

            21. Follow up on carbon credit projects to ensure they deliver;

            22. Regularly revise carbon credit strategy as best practices evolve; and

            23. Signatories that offer conferences and other events should account for GHG emissions from in-person attendees.


              Better:

              24. Take immediate and rapid action to reduce GHG emissions by no less than 25% below the baseline year within one year after signing;

              25.Commit to a year-over-year decrease in GHG emission of no less than 25% until 2030;

              26. Differentiate between, and account for, emissions in scopes 1, 2, and 3 in GHG reporting to align with globally accepted standards and to allow for comparison across industries;

              27. Account for likely differences in personal energy consumption in the host location compared to energy consumption in the home location for business and academic travellers; and

              28. Include climate impact measures in program approvals and assessments.


                Best:

                29. Establish a levy on individual and institutional frequent flyers to generate funds to support projects with proven environmental and climate justice outcomes.

                  ARTICLE 6 - Travel

                  Basic:

                  30. Replace physical meetings with online ones when possible and logical;

                  31. Adjust, or introduce, climate conscious travel policies to incentivise lower carbon means of travel and reduce emissions-intensive business and academic travel;

                  32. When travelling by air is deemed necessary for international education business purposes, fly economy class or the least carbon-intensive mode;

                  33. Signatories that deliver conferences and other events should offer virtual participation options


                  Better:

                  34. Add typical personal energy consumption of study destinations and carbon intensity of available transport modes to program approval and review criteria;

                  35. Arrange student travel to ensure lowest emissions;

                  36. Invest in technology to improve the virtual exchange and other online international experiences;

                  37. Where established learning outcomes allow, add or expand low-carbon global education opportunities including

                    • (a) virtual exchanges,
                    • (b) transnational education,
                    • (c) local global engagement, or 
                    • (d) internationalization at home opportunities.

                    38. Where short-term international program learning outcomes are achievable without long-haul flights, replace them with virtual, local, or regional alternatives;

                    39. Locate staff offshore and adjust business models to reduce the need for air travel;

                    40. Signatories that deliver conferences and other events should coordinate to collaboratively offer combined events (e.g. per country or region) to consolidate attendee travel.


                      Best:

                      41. Introduce a flight emissions trading scheme within and between institutions to accelerate the sector’s collective transition to net zero.

                        Article 7 - Facilities, Operations, and Procurement

                        Basic:

                        42. Commit to collaborating with organizational sustainability unit(s);

                        43. Resource international education climate action commitments through budget and staffing allocation;

                        44. Ensure climate action is a responsibility in at least one person’s position description;

                        45. Collaborate globally on data collection and surveys relating to climate action in international education;

                        46. Implement flexible and equitable work from home options;

                        47. Replace printing and shipping marketing materials with digital marketing technologies; and

                        48. Encourage international education stakeholders to become Signatories to the CANIE Accord.


                          Better:

                          49. Conduct a risk-mapping exercise to determine the direct social, economic, and environmental impacts of climate change on key international education markets and destinations;

                          50. Introduce human resources incentives and rewards to encourage decarbonization including incentivized low-carbon travel to and from work;

                          51. Invest to support recruitment agents to develop lower-carbon operating models;

                          52. Include climate action criteria in the contract and procurement processes to consider suppliers’ climate strategies;

                          53. Invest in emission reduction projects with partners;

                          54. Establish regular virtual meetings with partners to share and implement best practices in climate action in international education;

                          55. Replace large in-person meetings with virtual alternatives;

                          56. Invest in technology to improve the virtual conference and meeting experience; and

                          57. When catering, use plant-based, locally sourced ingredients and eliminate single use plastics. Opt for compostable or other biodegradable alternatives.

                            Article 8 - Climate Education

                            Basic:

                            58. Insert climate literacy training modules into programming for all globally mobile students

                            • (a) emphasizing methods to reduce emissions from personal travel and 
                            • (b) ensuring that content is easily accessible in multiple languages;

                                59. Support the development and dissemination of climate literacy professional training programs;

                                60. Encourage and support personnel to take advantage of climate action events resources provided by CANIE and other organizations;

                                61. Make proprietary resources (e.g. articles, white papers and conference sessions) freely available to all in the sector when they pertain to climate action in international education; and

                                62. Include climate action as a theme at conferences and events.


                                  Better:

                                  63. Leverage Signatory’s influence to insert climate literacy modules into all undergraduate orientation packs;

                                  64. Leverage Signatory’s influence to advocate for, and support, making climate literacy a graduate attribute;

                                  65. Create structured opportunities for students to share climate action stories with peers;

                                  66. Include a climate action stream within scholarship programs and prioritise sustainability-related courses within scholarship funds;

                                  67. Commission and support research, training, and the development of climate action materials for international education practitioners,

                                  68. Commission and support research and data collection on the intersections of climate change, global education, and social justice;

                                  69. Ensure that commissioned research and resources on climate action is open access; and

                                  70. Signatories that are associations or membership organizations should establish or maintain climate action expert communities.

                                  There is no physical signature page in the CANIE Accord, the commitments are identified and submitted for an organization via an online form.  Become a signatory to the CANIE Accord today!