Although emissions from air travel at Lund University have slightly decreased compared to last year*, longer journeys remain a major source of emissions. Now, a group of five researchers from different departments is tackling the challenge of shifting travel norms and reducing air travel with fresh perspectives. Funded by the University's Sustainability Fund ("Hållbarhetsfonden"), the project, ‘Big steps for a smaller footprint: Effectively reducing emissions from academic travel’, will analyse travel data and behaviours to identify concrete strategies for reducing academic air travel.
"The starting point is that Lund University is not meeting its climate targets for travel. We committed to reducing air-travel emissions by 50% compared to 2019, but the actual reduction has been just 9% in total, which leaves us far from our goal," says Ruth Pöttgen, project manager and researcher at the Department of Physics.
The project involves researchers from the Department of Biology, the Department of Physics, and LUCSUS, all departments with high travel rates—though for different reasons. Biologists frequently participate in field studies, physicists regularly visit international research facilities, and LUCSUS researchers collaborate extensively with colleagues in the Global South on sustainability issues. By combining these perspectives, the team hopes to understand why existing travel policies do not effectively influence behaviour and what is required to encourage change.
Policy says one thing—reality another
A central component of the project is analysing the university's travel data to identify patterns and pinpoint which trips generate the most emissions. Equally important, however, is direct dialogue with the researchers.
"We want to understand why the existing travel policy isn't reaching individual researchers. Are they unaware of it, or are there other factors prompting them to fly anyway?" says Emma Kritzberg from the Department of Biology, one of the project's initiators.
She highlights a gap between Lund University's ambitions and how its travel policy is structured: "The policy instructs us to choose fossil-free alternatives, but simultaneously prioritises cost and time efficiency, making air travel the obvious choice," she continues.
Long-haul journeys hardest to change
Sara Brogaard, Senior Lecturer at LUCSUS and part of the project, notes that many researchers at her department already choose trains within Sweden and often within Europe. Still, journeys beyond Europe account for the largest share of emissions and are the hardest to reduce.
"We need clearer guidelines on what's expected of us as researchers. It's important to critically assess which trips and conferences are genuinely necessary, and which can be replaced or skipped entirely. When does being physically present add value compared to participating digitally?" says Sara Brogaard.
Different departments, different policies?
In addition to pinpointing issues and analysing data, the researchers intend to develop concrete recommendations for changes in the travel policy.
"We want our work to result in recommendations that actually work across different types of departments," explains Ruth Pöttgen.
A crucial part of the project involves workshops with researchers to capture their perspectives.
"We need to understand what researchers themselves are willing to do. You can propose measures that appear effective, but if no one is willing to adopt them, they won't work in practice," says Emma Kritzberg.
The team also acknowledges the complexity introduced by Lund University's internationalisation strategy.
"There’s a fundamental clash between sustainability and the ambition to be internationally visible. Many feel obligated to travel long distances to establish networks. But we must have this discussion: how can we be international and sustainable at the same time?" says Ruth Pöttgen.
What's required to halve air travel?
The project is set to conclude before the end of the year, but researchers hope it will spark broader change within the university—and perhaps inspire students as well.
"We hope researchers who successfully alter their travel habits will inspire the next generation," says Sara Brogaard.
To achieve its goal of halving air travel, the university must find a balance between climate goals and the practical needs of academia.
"I highly value face-to-face interactions—the pandemic highlighted how important they truly are. Yet, we can’t ignore that conferences and collaborations across the globe lead to substantial emissions if we fly. There are well-considered, sustainable alternatives," concludes Ruth Pöttgen.
The project is now taking the first steps towards understanding how Lund University can take greater responsibility for its academic travel—and what it will take for researchers to actually choose more sustainable alternatives.
*According to the Lund University Environmental Management Report 2024, emissions from air travel decreased by 6% in 2024 compared to the previous year 2023.
