Physicists encouraged to consider carbon footprint
Physicists are being encouraged to take a look at the size of their carbon footprint. In the October issue of Physics World, University of Oxford astrophysicist Phil Marshall calls on his colleagues worldwide to individually address environmental sustainability.
Not only must one consider the impact of large scientific facilities – such as ground-based telescopes and particle accelerators, which can often have considerable energy demands – but also the effects on an individual scale. Marshall’s research shows that – in the field of astrophysics alone – researchers themselves average 23,000 air miles each year to attend meetings and visit observatories, and use around 130 KWh of extra energy daily, compared to the average US citizen.
“Individual physicists can help to solve the energy problem, and not just the ones whose research is in new technologies; we can all contribute by setting the right example,” writes Marshall.
Marshall proposes that a change in behaviour is needed across the board: from ensuring, on a community level, that future experiments are built to be carbon neutral; while cutting down on energy usage on a personal scale. For example, physicists might opt to take part in overseas meetings through video conferencing, rather than flying there in person.
The article comes just before the First Joint Workshop on Energy Management for Large Scale Research Infrastructures, which is being at held in Lund, Sweden on 13-14 this month. The aim of the meeting will be to identify ways to do large-scale physics research with a manageable and sustainable carbon-neutral energy supply.
Physics World is the international, monthly magazine of the Institute of Physics. For more information please visit physicsworld.com website.
