A new study reveals that carbon emissions associated with professional conferences account for a significant portion of the air travel carbon emissions produced by academic researchers.
Andrea Goks, a McDonnell Center postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Arts, Sciences, and Physics at Washington University in St. Louis, advocates for reducing air travel emissions.
In a paper published in PNAS NexusGoks and colleagues estimated the CO2-equivalent emissions from meeting travel to all 362 public meetings in astronomy in 2019.
The total is an estimated 42,500 tons, or approximately 1 ton per participant per conference.
Overall, aviation accounts for about 2.5% of global carbon emissions and contributes even more to climate change.
How can academics reduce air travel emissions?
“Networking and discussing new scientific developments at conferences is important to moving the field forward, but adjustments can be made to reduce the huge carbon costs,” Goks said. Stated.
Virtual meetings can almost completely eliminate air travel emissions. However, virtual services are often not seen as efficient networking opportunities.
Goks said conference organizers should consider avoiding scenarios in which the majority of participants travel between continents, and prioritize placing conferences as close to as many participants as possible.
In addition to purely virtual meetings, Gokus and his co-authors propose hybrid formats and meetings held in a small number of physical hubs that can be linked virtually.
This approach has the potential to reduce long-distance travel, which contributes to a large portion of the world's carbon emissions.
If long-distance travel is unavoidable, the study authors suggest making the most of the time you spend at your destination.
Cuts could make the academic industry more inclusive
These choices not only make astronomy conferences more environmentally friendly, but also make astronomy as a discipline more inclusive.
For those coming from less affluent research institutions, from universities far from hubs in North America or Europe, for those who have to manage complex visa procedures, for researchers with disabilities, and for researchers with caring responsibilities. , going to meetings is often more difficult.
“Using technology to connect virtually can foster a more holistic collaborative approach and further advance our understanding of the universe,” Goks concluded.