Copenhagen not Copacabana? Practices and Perspectives for Fieldwork Without Flying

Abstract

Climate emergency compels higher education institutions to reduce their emissions footprint, prompting geographic educators to reconsider carbon-intensive field course education. Retaining international experiences far from home might remain possible via overland rail. To test long-distance train travel with students we piloted a field study visit from the UK to Copenhagen. Responding to calls for critical reflection on how to collectively advance geographic fieldwork education by reconnecting values and practice, we provide insights to the practicality, ethics and accessibility of low-carbon travel for educational activity, and offer experience-based recommendations for how staff and students can make any substantial overland journey more comfortable. We contribute to literature on fieldwork pedagogy by focusing on journey more than destination, from staff and student perspectives. Findings centre on three themes: students' assessment of the costs and benefits of international trains as an alternative to flying; staff and student experiences of overland rail mobilities; and the ethical dynamics of reducing university aeromobility. These indicate multiple disadvantages of lengthy overland travel, not least impacts on workload, staff and student wellbeing, plus potential disadvantaging of less internationally mobile students. It is not clear that these are outweighed by the advantages of switching to lower-carbon travel modes, particularly from students' perspective. Designing inclusive fieldwork goes beyond shaping accessible learning opportunities, to consider the justice of inequitable distribution of opportunities for overseas experiences. We conclude that staff and students should explore together how to navigate competing demands on field course design as part of learning to be globally responsible geographers at a time of climate emergency.