The Carbon Footprint of Conference Papers

Abstract

The action required to stem the environmental and social implications of climate change depends crucially on how humankind shapes technology, economy, lifestyle and policy. With transport CO2 emissions accounting for about a quarter of the total, we examine the contribution of CO2 output by scientific travel. Thankfully for the reputation of the scientific community, CO2 emissions associated with the trips required to present a paper at a scientific conference account for just 0.003% of the yearly total. However, with CO2 emissions for a single conference trip amounting to 7% of an average individual's total CO2 emissions, scientists should lead by example by demonstrating leadership in addressing the issue.

Figure 1. Conference travel CO₂ per year.

Figure 2. Average CO₂ emissions for a paper to be presented by an author originating from a particular country.

Figure 3. Average CO₂ emissions for a paper to be presented at a conference location.

The circle’s color represents the average CO₂ emissions (kg), while the circle’s area is proportional to the number of papers presented at the particular location.