The Carbon Footprint of Conference Papers

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 CO(2) emissions accounting for about a quarter of the total, we examine the contribution of CO(2) output by scientific travel. Thankfully for the reputation of the scientific community, CO(2) 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 CO(2) emissions for a single conference trip amounting to 7% of an average individual’s total CO(2) emissions, scientists should lead by example by demonstrating leadership in addressing the issue.