Ailsa Lamont: “A Window of Opportunity” to Address the Climate Crisis

Conversations around sustainability in international education have increased in recent years, and there is a growing contingent of international educators who are mobilizing for action to address the climate crisis.

One key voice is Ailsa Lamont, who is the director of Pomegranate Global, an international education consulting group that offers a range of climate action services. Based in Australia, Lamont currently serves as president of CANIE, the Climate Action Network for International Educators, which she cofounded in 2020. She is also one of NAFSA's 2020–21 Senior Fellows, a group that wrote the white paper titled "Sustainability in International Education."

International Educator spoke with Lamont about how her background in international education and interest in climate change intersect; the biggest misconceptions and assumptions people in international education have about the climate crisis; the challenges related to sustainability in international education, as well as the opportunities to address those challenges; and practical ways international educators can make a difference in addressing the climate crisis on their campuses.

Editor's note: This interview has been edited and condensed.

Can you talk a bit about your background in international education and interest in climate change? How and when did these two things intersect for you?

To take it right back to the start, the first time I became aware of climate change as an issue was as an international student in Germany when I was 14. So international ed. actually helped put me on this path. Then it all intersected when I