On the Travel Emissions of Sustainability Science Research

Timothy Waring,Eva Manandhar,Mario Teisl,Mark Anderson

doi:10.3390/su6052718

Abstract

This paper presents data on carbon emissions generated by travel undertaken for a major sustainability science research effort. Previous research has estimated CO2 emissions generated by individual scientists, by entire academic institutions, or by international climate conferences. Here, we sought to investigate the size, distribution and factors affecting the carbon emissions of travel for sustainability research in particular. Reported airline and automobile travel of participants in Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative were used to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions attributable to research-related travel over a three-year period. Carbon emissions varied substantially by researcher and by purpose of travel. Travel for the purpose of dissemination created the largest carbon footprint. This result suggests that alternative networking and dissemination models are needed to replace the high carbon costs of annual society meetings. This research adds to literature that questions whether the cultural demands of contemporary academic careers are compatible with climate stabilization. We argue that precise record keeping and routine analysis of travel data are necessary to track and reduce the climate impacts of sustainability research. We summarize the barriers to behavioral change at individual and organizational levels and conclude with suggestions for reducing climate impacts of travel undertaken for sustainability research.

Highlights

Achieving climate stabilization requires significant reductions in anthropogenic carbon emissions [1].This requires an accurate understanding of the climate system, and the role of human alterations to that system, so that efforts to stabilize the climate are effective, and avoid unforeseen consequences [2,3,4].It requires an understanding of the nature of behavioral, social and institutional change so that policies and incentives have the greatest possible effect and highest efficiency [5,6]
For scientists involved in research and advocacy around issues of climate change, and environmental sustainability more generally, there is a tradeoff between the value of their research and dissemination activities and costs of the greenhouse gases emitted in the course of those activities
Anderson [19] suggests a different response, that “slow travel” by train should be used to replace air travel for scientists to attend conferences and other scholarly activities. This has sparked a debate around the issue of air travel and climate science [20,21], raising the provoking question: Is the travel undertaken for climate and sustainability research worth the costs it imposes on the environment via added greenhouse gas emissions?

Summary

Introduction

Achieving climate stabilization requires significant reductions in anthropogenic carbon emissions [1]. The perceived inauthenticity of scientists and advocates is likely to add legitimacy to the view that climate change is either not real or not serious, and further retard the progress of policies meant to address climate change This presents the climate and sustainability research community with a complex but important dilemma: how to balance the tradeoff between the research enterprise and its environmental and social costs?. Anderson [19] suggests a different response, that “slow travel” by train should be used to replace air travel for scientists to attend conferences and other scholarly activities This has sparked a debate around the issue of air travel and climate science [20,21], raising the provoking question: Is the travel undertaken for climate and sustainability research worth the costs it imposes on the environment via added greenhouse gas emissions?. Our study responds to these needs by exploring the carbon emissions generated by research travel in a major sustainability science research project

Research Design and Methodology

Results and Discussion

Conclusions

(2) Data Availability