Sustainable research: How to reduce your carbon footprint
The total amount of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, emitted by direct or indirect actions of an individual or an organization constitutes their carbon footprint. Depending on their area of work, researchers can have a high carbon footprint, not just through the use of the materials, equipment, infrastructure, and processes involved in their research but also through actions like traveling for academic purposes.
This article takes a look at some examples of how research activities can leave a high carbon footprint and discusses some offsetting practices that can be employed to counterbalance carbon emissions.
Facts and figures
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) set a target for reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. This goal is pivotal for limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and to achieve it, countries will need to curb their emissions by half by 2030 and reach nearly zero by 2050. Besides that, countries should also work on carbon-removal strategies to counterbalance all emissions caused by human actions.
According to the United Nations Climate Action Facts webpage, 13 million people die every year from environmental causes, and meeting the IPCC goals by 2050 will help us save a million lives per year globally by reducing air pollution alone. But how does scientific research contribute to carbon dioxide emissions?
Plastic has been one of the critical scientific discoveries of modern times. From our smartphones to our clothes, everything has plastic content, and materials used in research are no exception. For example, biomedical research generates enormous amounts of single-use plastic waste. It was estimated that biomedical and agricultural research institutes globally generated nearly 5.5 million tons of lab plastic waste in 2014. Of late, many scientists have been interested in designing biodegradable plastics that could provide a sustainable alternative to non-biodegradable plastic. Petri dishes made of polylactic acid could be one of the alternatives to their single-use polystyrene counterparts, which are readily used in laboratories across the globe.
Similarly, space and astronomical research also contribute to a considerable carbon footprint. Astronomical observatories worldwide have a carbon footprint of 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Annually, these infrastructures contribute to an estimated emission of 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Compared to an average human, who generates 4 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, an astronomer accounts for 37 tons annually.
Another current hot topic in science is AI-related research. Although AI technology has worked wonders across different fields of science and has been a significant game-changer in real life, it consumes an enormous amount of water. Google’s data centers increased water consumption from 3,412 million gallons in 2019 to 5,565 million gallons in 2022. This has resulted in a 60% increase in water consumption from 2019 to 2023. Current research suggests that globally, AI technology could contribute to 4.2–6.6 billion cubic meters of water consumption in 2027.
These overwhelming numbers have brought us to a stage where, as a scientist, it is imperative that you take immediate action to reduce your carbon footprint for a better future.
How to reduce your carbon footprint in research?
Although most fields of scientific research generate large amounts of carbon dioxide, researchers across the globe have worked out solutions that can help reduce that. Below are some ways you can minimize your carbon footprint in research.
Rethinking academic travels and meetings
Although there’s a preference for in-person conferences and meetings, the COVID-19 pandemic provided good examples of how virtual and hybrid conferences can come to our rescue. In addition, researchers often meet with clients or patients (in the case of clinical research) in person. Travel-related emissions can be reduced if such meetings can be arranged through video conferencing. Similarly, interviews and grant reviews can also be conducted virtually.
Organizations often sponsor academic travel through grants. When such grants are available, authorities can choose to pay for greener approaches even when the cost of operation is higher. This change in mindset will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly.
Sustainable equipment use
Several pieces of equipment have multiple modes of working. For instance, ultra-low-temperature freezers in biomedical laboratories could be used at a temperature of -70°C instead of the usual -80°C. This increase of 10°C can result in a nearly 30% reduction in energy usage without impacting the shelf life of the freezer’s contents.
Another way of conducting sustainable research is through the shared usage of instruments applicable to multiple groups in an institute. This could help curb production and maintenance costs for separate instruments and purchase costs for each group. Similarly, refurbishing instruments and reusing plasticware and other laboratory components wherever possible is recommended. Centrifuge tubes are good examples of plasticware that could be reused for certain kinds of work after proper cleaning and sterilization in biomedical labs. Researchers can also switch to glass and metal containers instead of single-use plastic containers to ensure a more sustainable approach toward research.
Yet another environment-friendly approach is to re-use the enormous amounts of water wasted by water-purification systems used in biomedical and chemical research laboratories. This water could be used to clean the lab.
Review of energy usage
All research institutes require a massive amount of electricity for proper functioning. Tapping into renewable energy sources like solar and wind could reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainability. By using the large spaces typically available on building rooftops and other spaces, institutes can generate electricity using renewable sources, which could be fed into the local grid. Also, these institutes can opt for greener energy sources wherever possible, even when the purchase costs are higher than usual.
Sustainable use of lab space
Lab spaces can be designed with sustainable practices in mind. Installation of daylighting strategies, individually operable bench lights, and occupancy sensors for lights, computers, and other instruments could dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of a lab.
Similarly, separating the office spaces of principal investigators from labs could also reduce energy usage by employing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems only in the lab spaces.
Many institutes also rely on shared large lab spaces between groups. This promotes collaboration and sustainable usage of lab components, including reduced energy usage.
Proper lab designs can strike down carbon emissions drastically. This resource provides excellent insights and examples related to building and managing laboratories that follow a sustainable code of conduct with low energy use and that can thrive with a minimal carbon footprint without compromising research quality.
Review of emissions and offsetting practices
The practices mentioned above require active measures by scientists to reduce carbon emissions. However, a regular, thorough check of such measures employed by researchers is necessary to ensure we meet the IPCC goals. Applications for grants, jobs, and promotions of scientists could include reviewing their sustainable lab practices. While we may not need accurate estimations of carbon footprint every time, a rough estimate is usually helpful. Such reviews not only help assess the sustainability practices an institution employs as a whole but also make it mandatory for researchers to incorporate such practices in their labs.
Hence, the need to reduce the carbon footprint in research environments is not only pressing but also achievable through a multitude of strategic interventions. Research institutions can significantly curtail their environmental impact by rethinking academic travel, optimizing equipment usage, harnessing renewable energy sources, and embracing sustainable lab designs. Implementing these changes will require concerted efforts and innovative thinking, but the potential benefits—from decreased operational costs to a reduced ecological footprint—outweigh the effort/cost involved. As the scientific community advances in understanding and applying sustainable practices, reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 becomes increasingly attainable. This journey toward sustainability not only aligns with global environmental targets but also sets a progressive example for labs worldwide in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Comments
You're looking to give wings to your academic career and publication journey. We like that!
Why don't we give you complete access! Create a free account and get unlimited access to all resources & a vibrant researcher community.
