LAWRENCE — The academic conference, where scholars meet to present research, exchange ideas and build professional networks, are so deeply embedded in higher education that flying to these events is often seen as a marker of productivity, and for some, is associated with a sense of prestige.
A University of Kansas scholar has published research examining the air travel required for such conferences from a climate-justice perspective, encouraging reflection on how long-standing academic practices contribute to the climate crisis. Rather than calling for an end to academic gatherings, the research encourages the field to consider more sustainable and equitable alternatives.
Joonmo Kang, assistant professor of social welfare at KU, conducts research on climate justice and how extreme climate events affect some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. Like many of his colleagues, he has traveled to conferences to share his work and exchange ideas.
“Part of me always felt guilty and a bit hypocritical, given that I study climate justice and still fly to conferences,” Kang said. “There are many benefits of getting together in this way, but it got me thinking about higher education, what we do and what we might do better. Research shows that roughly one-third of carbon emissions in higher education come from air travel. While air travel accounts for only a portion of overall emissions, higher education institutions committed to teaching and imagining a more just and sustainable world have a responsibility to question these practices and find ways to reduce their impact.”
Kang and colleagues decided to explore the issue further by analyzing the 2023 Society for Social Work and Research conference, one of the field’s leading scholarly gatherings. The team analyzed information about the 1,677 presenters, including 1,512 domestic and 165 international participants. Using publicly available data on the presenters’ institutional affiliation, they estimated travel distances by calculating the mileage from each presenter’s nearest airport to Phoenix, the conference site.
Collectively, the presenters were estimated to have emitted more than 1,383 metric tons of CO₂ through air travel, averaging about 0.82 metric tons per person. While these totals are smaller than those associated with major conferences in other fields, social work’s focus on inequality invites a different kind of reflection: a single round‑trip flight for a U.S.-based scholar can equal or exceed the annual carbon footprint of many people in the Global South.
Co‑authored by colleagues from several institutions, the commentary was published in Advances in Social Work.
Kang also collaborated with an illustrator and science communicator to produce a graphic‑novel adaptation of the piece, making the ideas and findings more accessible to a wider audience.
Kang said the research is not calling for an end to academic conferences or to flying altogether. Instead, Kang and co-authors encourage the field to begin critically examining its current practices and accepted norms and to consider what alternative models or improvements might better align with its commitments to sustainability and climate justice.
To that end, the authors outline several potential alternatives that have been suggested in the literature:
One option, which has already been widely adopted since the pandemic, is the virtual conference. The shift to online formats demonstrated that many functions of in‑person meetings can be carried out effectively in virtual spaces. Virtual conferences also address long‑standing equity concerns by reducing barriers for those who cannot afford to travel, including students, caregivers and individuals with accessibility needs. At the same time, the authors acknowledge that virtual meetings come with their own challenges, such as technical difficulties and fewer opportunities for spontaneous, in‑person connection. Another alternative is the hub model, in which several regional hubs gather in person while connecting virtually across sites. This approach reduces long‑distance travel while still preserving some of the benefits of in‑person interaction, offering a more balanced option. Even for fields that continue to hold in‑person conferences, some are now recommending a model in which meetings alternate — one year virtual, one year in person — to reduce overall travel. Another option is to be more intentional about conference locations. Research shows, for example, that holding a conference in Chicago rather than in coastal cities can reduce emissions from air travel by as much as 12%.
“Even within our own team, we held different views about possible alternatives. When I first began this project, I was leaning more towards going entirely virtual,” Kang said. “But now I lean towards keeping having in‑person gatherings, especially in the age of AI, when human connection feels more important than ever. What I hoped to convey in this piece was not that we should stop flying to conferences, but that we should pause and question the practices we have normalized, consider the costs behind them, explore alternatives and take steps to make things better.”