Quantifying the climate benefits of a virtual versus an in-person format for an international conference

Abstract

Background Academic institutions across the globe routinely sponsor large conferences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many conferences have used all- or partially virtual formats. The conversion of the 2021 Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference, originally planned in-person for Houston, TX USA to an all-virtual format provided an opportunity to quantify the climate-related impacts of in-person versus virtual conferences. Methods From the 2021 CUGH conference registration data, we determined each registrant’s distance from Houston. Using widely available, open-source formulas, we calculated the carbon footprint of each registrant’s round-trip drive or flight had they traveled to Houston. We assumed that registrants traveling more than 300 miles would have flown, with the remainder traveling by automobile. Results Of 1909 registrants, 1447 would have traveled less than 4000 miles, and 389 would have traveled more than 10,000 miles round trip. Total travel-related carbon emissions were estimated at 2436 metric tons of CO2, equivalent to the conservation of 2994 acres of forest for a year. Conclusions Organizations can now readily quantify the climate cost of annual conferences. CUGH’s annual international conference, when held in-person, contributes significantly to carbon emissions. With its focus on promoting global health equity, CUGH may play a lead role in understanding the pros and cons for planetary health of in-person versus virtual conferences. CUGH and other organizations could routinely measure and publish the climate costs of their annual conferences.

The potential environmental impact of external speakers’ airplane travel to grand rounds conferences

“…The CO 2 emissions associated with external speaker travel for MGR at our institution are approximately 10 mTon per year, a small amount relative to international conferences [1,2], though still equivalent to emissions from nearly 25,000 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered automobile [6]. However, the prevalence and frequency of MGR and similar conferences, which occur at academic medical centers throughout the country, suggest an even greater impact.…”

“…The carbon footprint of air-travel to major medical conferences is substantial but as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual platforms can eliminate these CO 2 emissions [1,2]. Grand Rounds conferences are comparatively smaller-scale but higher-frequency events to which external speakers often travel by airplane.…”

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traveled by airplane if the distance between their home institution and ours exceeded 300 miles [1,2]. To estimate the CO 2 emissions for each speaker's air-travel [1, 3], we used the Carbon Footprint Calculator [4] and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Carbon Emissions Calculator [5].

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Cultivating intellectual community in academia: reflections from the Science and Technology Studies Food and Agriculture Network (STSFAN)

“…While the COVID-19 pandemic and rising awareness about the climate impacts of international travel have increased opportunities to engage in online conferences, they have also left many scholars feeling both physically and intellectually isolated–sorely missing supportive exchanges with like-minded peers (Flaherty 2021 ; Lewy et al 2022 ). This is all happening in the context of neoliberal universities that emphasize individual achievement over collective thinking and knowledge production (Mountz et al 2015 ).…”

AnEAACIreview: Go green in health care and research. Practical suggestions for sustainability in clinical practice, laboratories, and scientific meetings

“…There have been efforts to quantify climate benefits when holding conferences virtually, 116 taking the 2021 Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference as an example.…”