Climate researchers are the most frequent travelers to universities

Climate researchers fly more than other academics, according to a new international study. Although the group is very concerned about global warming, climate researchers are not doing what they say by cutting back on their travels, the British and Swedish study found.

Globally, air travel is responsible for up to 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The sector’s carbon footprint is growing faster than expected.

Flying is one of the most emission-intensive activities we can do. A single round-trip flight from Auckland to Los Angeles emits 4.4 tons of carbon dioxide, slightly more than the average person produces from heating their home, driving their car and disposing of waste in an entire year, according to Toitū Envirocare.

So research co-author Lorraine Whitmarsh was very surprised to learn that climate academics had the highest footprints in aviation.

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The University of Bath psychologist expected the group to report having made fewer flights, or at least a similar number, compared to their colleagues in other departments.

However, the survey of international university scholars, published in the journal Global environmental change, found that climate researchers flew up to three times a year, on average. His colleagues in other departments made two plane trips a year. “This was not just because they did more field work abroad,” Whitmarsh said.

Senior climate researchers had particularly large travel footprints, the survey found.

Climate change scientists are more concerned about the environmental impact of travel than other researchers, although this did not translate into a lower carbon footprint. This is a common human trait, Whitmarsh said. “We know that there is often a gap between what people know [and] they feel and what they do. “

Still, Whitmarsh hopes to see a move in climate science to minimize carbon-intensive travel.

“The evidence above suggests that climate scientists are more credible communicators and advocates when they ‘lead by example’ … I think we can do much more to test new ways of working, such as virtual conferences, within climate change research , to show other researchers and professionals how to reduce their carbon footprint ”.

Aviation is one of the largest sources of emissions for many universities and research centers.

University of Otago travel researcher James Higham and his colleagues / team have identified that academics needed to reduce their travel.

“Previously, there was a lot of resistance to change and a lot of that was due to uncertainty. But Covid has imposed changes on academics. I think a lot of people are thinking now, ‘Wow, isn’t that refreshing?’ After all, it wasn’t a problem, ”he said.

He doesn’t want the status quo to return once travel restrictions are eased by the pandemic. But to block change, universities and research groups will need to review their career progression policies, which require academics to demonstrate that they are internationally recognized.

“The easiest way to do it is to fly around the world and attend conferences,” he said. “We need the institutions to be shoulder to shoulder in this.”

Higham envisions a future in which travel abroad is less frequent, especially for established researchers, and serves multiple purposes. At the same time, conferences are held less frequently and most academics attend virtually, perhaps from a local hotel to avoid “normal daily interruptions” or to meet in multi-city centers. In a recent study, he and his co-authors found that 72,000 tonnes of emissions from each major conference could be saved in this way.

There are also benefits for underrepresented academics, he added. “Virtual conferencing, as we have discovered in the last nine months, opens up opportunities for people who have previously been excluded. That’s a pretty exciting prospect. “

Plus, flying long distances for a conference can be physically exhausting, Higham said.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority recently launched a campaign asking people to reconsider the need for work and personal travel.

But rather than painting this as a sacrifice, the slogan ‘Say no to wasted energy’ portrays the concept as a way to save personal energy as well as fuel, said CEO Andrew Caseley.

“It was very easy – I can speak from experience here – to become a travel addict. It just says: do I need to travel for that meeting? “

Once the practice of questioning unnecessary travel is established, it will likely become a personal or institutional habit, Caseley said.

“In our opinion, these are first steps,” he added. “People may even start to do things that aren’t of great importance, but collectively, maybe start adding up.”

University of Auckland climate physicist David Noone believes that many researchers will appreciate the benefits of staying this year. “I would say that I have loved not feeling forced to travel a lot this year, and I am sure my dog ​​appreciates it too,” he said.

Climate scientists have struggled with the ethical dilemma of their travel patterns in light of the climate crisis for at least a decade, he said. “More and more, people act accordingly.”

Rightly or wrongly, society expects climate scientists to be ethical leaders, Noone said.

“That is a very unusual and possibly uncomfortable role for scientists,” he added. “There is this duality that climate scientists struggle with. And I know that some people fight fiercely, to the extent that it causes them a great deal of anxiety. “

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