The impact of COVID-19 on reducing carbon emissions: From the angle of international student mobility

Jin Liu; Jiayu Tian; Wenjing Lyu; Yitian Yu

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119136

The impact of COVID-19 on reducing carbon emissions: From the angle of international student mobility

Appl Energy. 2022 Jul 1:317:119136. doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.119136. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Authors

Jin Liu¹, Jiayu Tian², Wenjing Lyu³, Yitian Yu²

Affiliations

¹ School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Institute of Technology, Room 411, Central Building, South Street of Zhongguancun, Haidian, Beijing 100084, China.
² School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Institute of Technology.
³ MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, MIT Sloan School of Management, 245 1st Street, Room E94-1522a, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.

Abstract

Global carbon emissions have been rapidly increasing in recent years, negatively influencing the global climate. Thereby, it is urgent to reduce carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. During the COVID-19 pandemic, strict quarantine plans have led to a sharp decline in the number of international student flights, which will, in turn, decrease aviation carbon emissions. This study predicts the carbon emission reduction caused by the decrease in international student mobility during the COVID-19. The result shows that the carbon emission was about 1326 Gg, a staggering value equivalent to two-thirds of the carbon emissions of the UK's agriculture sector in a year. Furthermore, this study analyzes the implications of current mitigation policies and makes recommendations for future strategies.

Keywords: Air travel; Aviation carbon emissions; Carbon footprint; International student mobility.