Abstract
The integration of open science as a key pillar of responsible research and innovation has led it to become a hallmark of responsible research. However, ethical, social and regulatory challenges still remain about the implementation of an internationally- and multi-sector-recognised open science framework. In this Commentary, we discuss one important specific challenge that has received little ethical and sociological attention in the open science literature: the environmental impact of the digital infrastructure that enables open science. We start from the premise that a move towards an environmentally sustainable open science is a shared and valuable goal, and discuss two challenges that we foresee with relation to this. The first relates to questions about how to define what environmentally sustainable open science means and how to change current practices accordingly. The second relates to the infrastructure needed to enact environmentally sustainable open science ethical and social responsibilities through the open science ethics ecosystem. We argue that there are various ethical obstacles regarding how to responsibly balance any environmental impacts against the social value of open science, and how much one should be prioritised over the other. We call for all actors of the open science ethics ecosystem to engage in discussions about how to move towards open data and science initiatives that take into account the environmental impact of data and digital infrastructures. Furthermore, we call for ethics governance frameworks or policy-inscribed standards of practice to assist with this decision-making.
Highlights
The integration of open science as a key pillar of responsible research and innovation has led it to become a hallmark of responsible research in higher education institutions and other governmental and non-governmental research organisations
We call for all actors of the open science ethics ecosystem—including funding bodies, research institutions, scientific journals, professional institutions, those representing organisations or companies associated with the data infrastructure, etc.— to actively engage in discussions about how to move towards environmentally sustainable open data and science initiatives that take into account the environmental impact of data and digital infrastructures
Any ethical framework that considers the environmental impacts of open science must fit within wider frameworks that consider the environmental sustainability of data science more generally
Summary
The integration of open science as a key pillar of responsible research and innovation has led it to become a hallmark of responsible research in higher education institutions and other governmental and non-governmental research organisations. While a range of sociological and ethical critiques about the political intentions of the open science initiative have emerged [4,5], its ambition is generally considered positive, acting to improve knowledge circulation and innovation, promote accessibility and replication, and provide increased research and researcher integrity and accountability [4,6,7] Such goals are important given the increasing reliance of research on mega datasets and artificial intelligence: as we move towards the collection of vast amounts of ‘big data’, accessibility to datasets and software can allow data re-use, thereby strengthening research efficiency and value. The second relates to the infrastructure needed to enact environmentally sustainable open science ethical and social responsibilities through the open science ethics ecosystem
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