Smart Talks: The Environmental Impact of International Students

Editor's note: Caixin Global and the Yale Center Beijing in August 2021 launched a Smart Talks on Climate Change program, including an essay competition, to endow leaders of the next generation aged 16 to 25 to tackle the problem. We're publishing the top three essays from the winners of the competition as this year’s program concluded in November.

In the post-pandemic era, anti-globalization events in political and economic sectors continuously occur. However, the global international education industry has expanded, estimated to reach 9 million international students worldwide in 2030. With more students traveling from developing countries, such as China and India, to developed countries to pursue higher education, population mobility and education institutions cause a significant environmental impact.