A while ago I had a short conversation with a student,
which made me thinking about my job from a different perspective. The student
studies environmental engineering and did some internships with companies to
improve their environmental standards. He seemed to be pretty enthusiastic
about his studies. But after a couple of beers he mentioned how tired he is to
live and work in this constant atmosphere of guilt and that he is grown-up and
smart enough to estimate the impact on the world climate if he once in a while
drives a crazy fast car. And sometimes that's just what he wants to do without
feeling guilty.
Talking, reading and thinking about environmental
impact and "how to save the planet" has become an everyday topic. It
comes and goes in the major news but it's always present and I'm sure a lot of
people have it in their heads - even if just for complaining about a bunch of
politicians flying around the world to meet in Doha for the Climate Change
Conference and there doesn't seem to be much change afterwards. Still I don't
have the impression that the majority of the people actually cares very much
about the footprint they leave in their everyday life. So I was surprised about
this outburst of "feeling guilty". I'm not sure if feeling guilty is
the best starting point for planet saving activities, but it's certainly better
than not caring at all.
When reading through blogs of scientists, the topic
about the importance of attending conferences pops up frequently. Being present
and visible, meeting people, starting new collaborations, presenting your work,
pushing your career and with this your science. The science we do is meant to
be for the greater good of our society. We do research to expand knowledge and
develop a better world for everybody, so everything (within certain ethical
frameworks) that is necessary to achieve these goals is well invested. Right?
I usually attend two international conferences each
year. My boss is more in the region of 6 or more. From Australia these
travels can only be done by long-distance flights, but no matter where your
home university is: conferences involve flying most of the time. So even if my
private me takes great care of her carbon footprint to keep it small, my
professional me just smashes all efforts. And estimating from the amount of
time my boss spends in planes, it will get worse.
This is a part of my job that actually makes me feel
guilty and I'm thinking a lot about if it’s really necessary to attend
conferences. Are the outcomes of a conference for my research high enough to
justify the travel? Or was it just nice to meet the science crowd again? Are
there alternatives to keep and get in contact with other researchers and be
part of the community - we live in such a well connected world! Or would my chances to have a career in the research world just vanish quickly if I'd reduce my attendance rate on conferences?
Are there
people seriously thinking about this problem, which not only affects
researchers but a lot of employees of international operating companies? Besides fossil fuels a lot of money and time could be saved... Are there
possible solutions proposed or already in use? And can we really justify to drive a crazy fast car?
A few years ago, I made a real effort to measure and calculate my carbon footprint. At that time, I was living in a state in the US where it snowed a few times a year, didn't own a car, but borrowed/rented one regularly for short trips, and ate locally as much as possible in such a climate. Yet my carbon footprint was still near the American mean. Why? My family lived 1000 miles away, my in laws 2500, I had extended family 10,000 miles away (including friends who are subsistence farmers whose island is effected by rising sea levels) I visit every 2 or so years, my partner lived 300 miles away, and one of us took a bus trip to visit every week. Add to that a conference or two every year.
ReplyDeleteMy two body problem still isn't solved, so I still travel every week. I now live about half-way between my in-laws and my extended family. Even ignoring the work travel, I find my very existence has a horrible carbon imprint. I try not to think of it very often, as it causes me to shut down with guilt. Even if we both gave up our job and my family moved near one of our parents, living carbon neutrally would mean cutting off too many loved ones to bear contemplating.
It's one of the dark sides of globalization. We can travel more, widen our horizon and learn a lot about each other, which certainly makes the world a better place. But then traveling comes with a cost and it would be better if we'd all stay much more where we are. I'd say its important to reflect about that once in while and adjust when possible. All the tiny things like eating locally and what's in season and reducing trips with a car help on various levels. So even if my travels raise my carbon footprint in a horrible way, I'll try to keep all the tiny things up.
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