Flying Less in Academia: A Resource Guide
FlyingLessResourceGuide.info
(Originally published June 2019; Most recent update: Oct 2023)
[Quick Links: Skip to Contents / or Virtual Conferencing in light of COVID-19 ]
1.0 Introduction
The ‘Flying Less’ movement is ‘taking off’ in academia! The movement has been launched by conscientious scholars around the world who are aware that flying serves as the largest share of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by individual scholars, and cognizant that the world now faces a dire climate emergency. While those in the movement recognize the benefits flying has afforded the profession, in many cases flying is no longer necessary: While flying will still be important for scholars conducting distant fieldwork, the evidence shows that flying in general (to conferences or guest talks, for instance) does not correlate with a scholar’s productivity. Furthermore, advances in digital technology and new forms of scholarly exchange are making it much easier to share our research, network, and collaborate without having to fly. While we knew this before the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, during the public health emergency many scholars have further developed means of global collaboration, research, and knowledge dissemination without air travel.
Yes, we will ultimately need collective-scale action far beyond academia to address the carbon footprint of the aviation sector. We will need regulation and multilateral cooperation and technological innovation to tackle this problem from a global justice perspective... but we see a direct and important role for individual scholars to play in helping to envision, promote and catalyze such collective-scale shifts, principally by helping to bring about cultural and technological change in our profession, to model it to future scholars and to society at large.
The Flying Less movement in Academia aims to be inclusive and flexible. By this it is meant that it is OPEN to anyone, and everyone is invited and welcome to join us. Moreover, the intention is NOT to ‘shame’ others or ‘boycott’ an economic subsector... but rather to recognize that all colleagues are trying to do their best given their particular circumstances (career stage, institutional expectations, etc.) to support climate action at all scales; and that a truly just transition requires support for workers in high-impact sectors and public investment in mitigation and adaptation strategies (including research into new technologies).
A tremendous amount of material has been developed in recent years which relates to this movement - personal reflection pieces by concerned scholars; academic articles examining the logistics of flying less; and technical explorations and exemplars of scholarly associations attempting digital conferencing. This Resource Guide, originally published in June 2019, aims to serve as a FREE, OPEN-ACCESS repository of all resources related to the “Flying Less in Academia” movement.
The guide is co-edited by Ryan Katz-Rosene (University of Ottawa), Garrett Richards (Memorial University of Newfoundland - Grenfell), Seth Wynes (University of British Columbia), Kimberly Nicholas (Lund University), Erica Frank (University of British Columbia), Parke Wilde (Tufts University), Joseph Nevins (Vassar College), Richard Kim (unaffiliated), Agnes Kreil (ETH Zurich), and Ida-Maria Chvostek (University of Ottawa).
In Memoriam: Peter Shepherd (Environmental Studies Association of Canada) was a co-founder of the guide, but is sadly deceased (2021).
The guide is organized by resource type (media articles, personal reflections, journal contributions, digital conferencing guides, and digital conferences, etc.), and as such there is some overlap. If you notice anything missing or have any suggestions of links to add, please contact an editor.
Acknowledgements:
A number of individuals have served as important inspirations for this project: Parke Wilde and Joseph Nevins of Flying Less; Peter Kalmus of No Fly Climate Sci; Kimberly Nicholas; the Board members of the Environmental Studies and Association of Canada; Organizers of the University of Alberta’s Around the World Conference; and other intellectual inspirations: Seth Wynes, Simon Donner, Milena Buchs, Jennifer Rudd, Steve Westlake, Kevin Anderson, Aarne Granlund, Erica Frank, Genevieve Guenther, and others!
2.0 Contents
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Contents
3.0 *NEW* Virtual & Alternative Conferencing in light of COVID-19
3.1 How to conduct a virtual conference
3.2 Alternative conferencing efforts during the pandemic
4.0 Petitions, Websites and Pledges
5.0 Decision-Making Aids, Argumentation Guides
6.0 Institutional Policies and Reports on Flying Less
7.0 Statements and Reduction Recommendations by Networks, Associations, etc.
8.0 Books, Journal Articles & Studies about Flying Less
9.0 Op-Eds, Personal Reflections
10.0 Personal Footprint Statements, Sample Carbon Budgets & Low-Carbon Lifestyles, by Academics
11.0 Media Coverage of Flying Less
12.0 Virtual, Digital, or Multi-Hub Conferences/ing
13.0 Practical Guides for Low-Carbon Conferencing
14.0 Carbon Offsetting
15.0 Guides for Train (and other Low-Carbon) Travel
16.0 Behavioural Change, Norms & Tipping Points in Academia
17.0 The Science of Aviation and Climate Change
18.0 Governance/Policy of Aviation and Climate
19.0 Carbon Calculators for Flights and Conferences
20.0 Videos and Webinars on Flying Less
21.0 Businesses and Other Sectors Flying Less
22.0 Co-benefits of Flying Less (Health, Equity, Inclusion...)
23.0 Art, Creative Projects, and Inspiration
24.0 Flying Less Researcher Networks
3.0 Virtual & Alternative Conferencing in light of COVID-19
This is a collection of resources that may be of particular interest to those looking for conferencing alternatives in light of COVID-19 spread.
3.1 How to conduct a virtual conference
https://hiltner.english.ucsb.edu/index.php/ncnc-guide/
3.2 Alternative conferencing efforts during the pandemic
Here are some examples of conferences which have ‘gone 100% virtual’ as a result of COVID-19:
- Academic aeromobility post-COVID 19. A report in May 2022 by Vasco Zeferina and Claire Hoolohan from the Tyndall Centre. “https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/academic-aeromobility-postcovid-19(f1c066d8-d211-4e76-87e1-f95b4cc28caf).html
- 11th Annual International Science of Team Science Conference https://www.inscits.org/
- The Annual Meeting of the Environmental Studies Association of Canada is going fully virtual this year: https://esac.ca/annual-conference/
- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers Annual Meeting
ICANN67 (2020): https://meetings.icann.org/en/remote67
- The Passive and Active Measurement conference
PAM 2020: https://pam2020.cs.uoregon.edu/
4.0 Petitions, Websites and Pledges
Here are some key sites where you can ‘join’ the movement by pledging to fly less, learn about others who have joined the movement, and more:
If you want to make a pledge of your own: The travel better package of the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education includes a template for a pledge which includes educating oneself about the climate impact of flying, changing flight behavior, and advocating for change in the workplace: https://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/files/eauc-scotlands_travel_better_pledge_template_version_1.pdf
5.0 Decision-Making Aids, Argumentation Guides
Several academic institutions and alliances have provided materials, often in the form of decision trees, which help staff make well-justified decisions about whether or not to fly.
- Sarabipour S, Khan A, Seah YFS, Mwakilili AD, Mumoki FN, Sáez PJ, Schwessinger B, Debat HJ, Mestrovic T (2021) in Nature Human Behavior provide a graphical checklist of “key considerations for organizers and attendees” to make conferences both lower-carbon and more socially just. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01067-y
- The travel better package of the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education includes a justification tool "Should I attend the conference?". In five short questionnaires it helps academics consider, for each specific flight they're contemplating, the individual, social and material context on which the flight's necessity and value depend. https://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/files/eauc-scotland_air_travel_justification_tool_version_2.pdf
- The University of British Columbia has issued a PDF Handbook on Climate Change and Air Travel for use by its departments, with comprehensive information about the climate impact of air travel, the necessity to reduce it, and ways to achieve this goal. http://greentravel.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/11/Climate-Change-and-Air-Travel_UBC_Handbook.pdf
- The travel better package of the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education includes an FAQ PDF which engages with frequent concerns and counterarguments which academics may have when confronted with the suggestion to fly less: https://www.sustainabilityexchange.ac.uk/files/eauc-scotland_questions__answers_tool_version_2.pdf
- ETH Zurich: On an institutional basis, ETH has an online FAQ section which explains not only the university's air travel project but also engages with more general questions around the need to reduce flight emissions and practical ways to do so. https://ethz.ch/services/en/organisation/executive-board/vice-president-infrastructure/mobilitaetsplattform/air-travel/faq.html
- Tyndall Centre: https://tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/travel-strategy-treeofdecisions2.png . And a report in May 2022 by Vasco Zeferina and Claire Hoolohan. “Academic aeromobility post-COVID 19.” https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/academic-aeromobility-postcovid-19(f1c066d8-d211-4e76-87e1-f95b4cc28caf).html
- University of Utrecht: https://www.uu.nl/sites/default/files/uu_-_travel_check_en.pdf
- Universität Groningen: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/profile/facts-and-figures/duurzaamheid/nieuws/beslisboom-reisbeleid-en-(met-logo)-web.png
6.0 Institutional Policies and Reports on Flying Less
Institutional policies and practices can be a great lever to change the travel behavior of many people at once, as well contribute to a change in academic travel culture.
- Towards Climate Sustainability of the Academic System in Europe and Beyond. From ALLEA: All European Academies (May 2022). https://allea.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ALLEA-Report-Towards-Climate-Sustainability-of-the-Academic-System.pdf
- World Map of academic institutions trying to reduce their air travel related carbon emissions (includes links to further information about each university’s activities):
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1v49WXCeLrpWkeQFvl2xIak8qrTvV7jGe&ll=16.41388270237548%2C-101.66163065&z=2
7.0 Statements and Reduction Recommendations by Networks, Associations, etc.
8.0 Books, Journal Articles & Studies about Flying Less
- Huwe, V., Hopkins, D. and Mattioli, G. (2024). Aviation exceptionalism, fossil fuels and the state. Review of International Political Economy, pp.1-25.
- De Vos, J., Hopkins, D., Hickman, R. and Schwanen, T. (2024). Tackling the academic air travel dependency. An analysis of the (in) consistency between academics’ travel behaviour and their attitudes. Global Environmental Change, 88, p.102908. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378024001122?via%3Dihub
- Martin, P. M., & Nevins, J. (2024). Energizing Slow Scholarship: A Political Ecology Approach to a More Just Academy and Beyond. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 23(4), 302–309. https://doi.org/10.14288/acme.v23i4.2471
- Hopkins, D. (2024). Towards Just Geographies of Academic Mobilities. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 23(4), 281–292. https://doi.org/10.14288/acme.v23i4.2466
- Sultana, F. (2024). Just Academic Mobilities in an Unjust World. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 23(4), 293–295. https://doi.org/10.14288/acme.v23i4.2470
- García, M. (2024). Decarbonization and Decolonization of the Academy: A South-North Perspective. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 23(4), 296–298. https://doi.org/10.14288/acme.v23i4.2467
- Dempsey, J. (2024). Giving Form to Consciousness. ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies, 23(4), 299–301. https://doi.org/10.14288/acme.v23i4.2469
- Ari, T.B., Lefort, G., Mariette, J., Aumont, O., Jeanneau, L., Santerne, A., Spiga, A. and Philippe-Emmanuel, R. (2023). Flight Quotas Hold the Most Significant Potential for Reducing Carbon Emissions from Academic Travel. https://hal.science/hal-04264960/
- Görlinger, S., Merrem, C., Jungmann, M. and Aeschbach, N. (2023). An evidence-based approach to accelerate flight reduction in academia. npj Climate Action, 2(1), p.41.
- Kay, C., Kuper, R. and Becker, E.A. (2023). Recommendations emerging from carbon emissions estimations of the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. Eneuro.
- Noah Birksted-Breen (2022). The Oxford Flying Less Podcast. The 6-episode series includes interviews with Hannah Knox, Michele Veldsman, Christoph Küffer, Milan Kloewer, Parke Wilde, Joe Nevins, Debbie Hopkins, and many others.
- Colin Dey and Shona Russell (2022). Still Flying in the Face of Low-carbon Scholarship? A Final Call for the CSEAR Community to Get on Board. Social and Environmental Accountability Journal, pp.1-15. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0969160X.2022.2094983
- Teun Bousema, Leonard Burtscher, Ronald P van Rij, Didier Barret, Kate Whitfield (2022). The critical role of funders in shrinking the carbon footprint of research. Lancet Planetary Health. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00276-X/fulltext
- Conti, M., 2021. Slow Academic Travel: An Antidote to "Fly Over" Scholarship in the Age of Climate Crisis. Theatre Topics, 31(1), pp.17-29.
- Delmestri, G., Etchanchu, H., Bothello, J., Habersang, S., Gutierrez O, G., Schüßler, E. (2021). OS4Future: an academic advocacy movement for our future. In: Personal Sustainability Practices: Faculty Approaches to Walking the Sustainability Talk and Living the UN SDGs, Eds. Starik, Mark, Kanashiro, Patricia, 218-229. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781800375123/9781800375123.00032.xml
- Whitfield, K., Cretu, A., Bousema, T. and Cohen, J. (2021). Environmentally sustainable practices in global health research and higher education institutions: lessons from consultation with the TropEd Global Health institutions. Tropical Medicine & International Health.
- Davids, R., Scheelbeek, P., Sobratee, N., Green, R., Häesler, B., Mabhaudhi, T., Chatterjee, S., Venkateshmurthy, N.S., Mace, G., Dangour, A. and Slotow, R. (2021). Towards the Three Dimensions of Sustainability for International Research Team Collaboration: Learnings from the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems Research Programme. Sustainability, 13(22), p.12427.
- Fent, A., Gibb, C., Ishihara, S., Holler, J. and Moseley, W.G. (2021). Confronting the Climate Crisis: Slow Geographies and Relational Approaches to International Research. The Professional Geographer, pp.1-11. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00330124.2021.1915827?casa_token=Zr5i_OLgddEAAAAA%3AeVWafusGhLjfFK56nn4IaSPh63uaBKUmFD5lbvBJDU5ZgKBk2mGF49KSoDfGeSirf3D6WF7xpin41w
- van der Tak, F., Burtscher, L., Zwart, S.P., Tabone, B., Nelemans, G., Bloemen, S., Young, A., Wijnands, R., Janssen, A. and Schoenmakers, A. (2021). The carbon footprint of astronomy research in the Netherlands. Nature Astronomy, pp.1-4.
- Richard Parncutt, PerMagnus Lindborg, Nils Meyer-Kahlen, and Renee Timmers (2021). The Multi-hub Academic Conference: Global, Inclusive, Culturally Diverse, Creative, Sustainable. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics (23 July).
- Kimberly Nicholas (2021). Under the Sky We Make (Penguin Random House).
- Kevin E. Liang, Jessica Q. Dawson, Matei D. Stoian, Dylan G. Clark, Seth Wynes, and Simon Donner (2021), “A carbon footprint study of the Canadian medical residency interview tour,” Medical Teacher, https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2021.1944612
- Lalith Polepeddi (2021), “Air travel and COVID-19: An opportunity for lasting emissions reductions,” Saporta Report, https://saportareport.com/air-travel-and-covid-19-an-opportunity-for-lasting-emissions-reductions/columnists/david/
- Nina Wormbs and Maria Wolrath Söderberg (2021), “Knowledge, Fear, and Conscience: Reasons to Stop Flying Because of Climate Change”, Urban Planning
- Portia Roelofs (2020), “Flying in the univer-topia: white people on planes, #RhodesMustFall and climate emergency,” Journal of African Cultural Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/13696815.2019.1630264
- Maria Wolrath Söderberg and Nina Wormbs (2020), Grounded Beyond Flygskam. Fores, European Liberal Forum asbl. https://fores.se/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Grounded-Beyond-Flygskam.pdf
- Milan Klöwer, Debbie Hopkins, Myles Allen & James Higham (2020), “An analysis of ways to decarbonize conference travel after COVID-19,” Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02057-2
- Benjamin C. Pierce, Michael Hicks, Crista Lopes, Jens Palsberg (2020), “Conferences in an Era of Expensive Carbon”, Communications of the ACM
https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/3/243024-conferences-in-an-era-of-expensive-carbon/fulltext - Lisa Jacobson, Jonas Åkerman, Matteo Giusti, Avit K. Bhowmik (2020), “Tipping to Staying on the Ground: Internalized Knowledge of Climate Change Crucial for Transformed Air Travel Behaviour”, Sustainability
- Anne Pasek (2020), “Low-Carbon Research: Building a Greener and More Inclusive Academy,” Engaging Science, Technology, and Society
https://estsjournal.org/index.php/ests/article/view/363
- Parncutt, Richard and Annemarie Seither-Preisler (2019). Live streaming at international academic conferences: Ethical considerations. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 7. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.393
- Joachim Ciers et al. (2019), “Carbon Footprint of Academic Air Travel: A Case Study in Switzerland,” Sustainability
https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010080
- Stefan Gössling et al. (2019) “Can we fly less? Evaluating the ‘necessity’ of air travel,” Journal of Air Transport Management
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969699719303229
- James Higham et al. (2019), “The work-sociology of academic aeromobility at remote institutions,” Mobilities
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17450101.2019.1589727
- Seth Wynes et al. (2019), “Academic air travel has a limited influence on professional success,” Journal of Cleaner Production https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619311862
- Catherine Grant (2018), “Academic flying, climate change, and ethnomusicology: Personal reflections on a professional problem” Ethnomusicology Forum
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17411912.2018.1503063
9.0 Op-Eds, Personal Reflections
This one’s a bit of a critique of flying less as attempted by individual academics.
- Moshe Vardi (2020), “Publish and Perish”, Communications of the ACM https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2020/1/241717-publish-and-perish/fulltext
- Anand Pandian (2020), “Redesigning the Annual Conference: Contagion, Carbon, Access, Equity” Society for Cultural Anthropology Fieldsights https://culanth.org/fieldsights/redesigning-the-annual-conference-contagion-carbon-access-equity
- Gabriel Waksman (2020), “From Conference Traveller to Tree Planter,” Nature Career Column, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00442-5
- Claire Wordley (2020), “What I Learned in a Year of Not Flying,” Monkey Wrench, https://www.monkeywrench.org.uk/blog/2020/1/22/what-i-learned-in-a-year-of-not-flying
- Russ Poldrack (2020), “Talking remotely: Lessons learned so far,” http://www.russpoldrack.org/2020/01/talking-remotely-lessons-learned-so-far.html
- Parke Wilde (2019), “Opinion: Flying Less Should be a High-Priority Climate Action,” ENSIA: https://ensia.com/voices/air-travel-climate-impact-flying/
- Benjamin Pierce et al (2019), "ACM Conferences and the Cost of Carbon," PL Perspectives: https://blog.sigplan.org/2019/07/17/acm-conferences-and-the-cost-of-carbon/
- David Samuel Williams (2019), “How those researching adaptation to climate change might reduce their own carbon footprints,” Nature:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02778-z
- Jonathan Wolff (2019), “What hypocrisy, I think guiltily, as I jet off to academic conferences far and wide,” The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/oct/29/hypocrisy--guilt-jet-off-to-academic-conferences-plane-travel?CMP=share_btn_tw
- Xavier Anglaret et al. (2019), “Researchers, set an example: fly less,” The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/researchers-set-an-example-fly-less-111046
- Sophia Kier-Byfield. (2019) “As an academic, should I worry about my conference carbon footprint?” The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jun/11/as-academics-should-we-worry-about-our-conference-carbon-footprint
- Sofia E. Kjellman. (2019). “As a climate researcher, should I change my air-travel habits?” Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01652-2
- Jaymie Heilman (2019), “Grounded: Academic Flying in the Time of Climate Emergency,” Active History: http://activehistory.ca/2019/07/grounded-academic-flying-in-the-time-of-climate-emergency/
- Milena Buchs (2019) “University sector must tackle air travel emissions”, The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/university-sector-must-tackle-air-travel-emissions-118929
- Nives Dolsak et al. (2019), “Climate scientists have a moral responsibility to lead by example”: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/433222-climate-scientists-have-a-moral-responsibility-to-lead-by-example
- Vidal, John (2019), “Why I only take one holiday flight a year.” Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/jan/26/why-i-only-take-one-holiday-flight-a-year-climate-change
- Anand Pandian (2018), “Reflections on #displace18” https://culanth.org/about/about-the-society/announcements/reflections-on-displace18
- Catherine Grant (2018), “Academic flying, climate change, and ethnomusicology: Personal reflections on a professional problem”
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17411912.2018.1503063
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-dolsak-prakash-carbon-tax_us_5abe746ae4b055e50acd5c80
- Kalmus, Cobbs, and Romps (2018), “AGU Should Support Its Members Who Fly Less.” EOS. https://eos.org/opinions/agu-should-support-its-members-who-fly-less
- Leor Hackel and Gregg Sparkman (2018), “Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Still Matters: In fact, getting politicians and industry to address climate change may start at home.” Slate. https://slate.com/technology/2018/10/carbon-footprint-climate-change-personal-action-collective-action.html
- Joshua Spodek (2017), “What a Year Without Flying Taught Me About Responsibility, Empathy, and Community” Inc.com
- Julian Kircherr and Asit Biswas (2017) “Expensive academic conferences give us old ideas and no new faces” The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/aug/30/expensive-academic-conferences-give-us-old-ideas-and-no-new-faces
- Jack Miles (2017), “For the love of Earth, stop travelling” Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2017/11/02/plane-pollution/
- Kimberly Nicholas (2017) “A hard look in the climate mirror” Scientific American, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-hard-look-in-the-climate-mirror/
- Peter Kalmus (2016) “How far can we get without flying?” YES! Magazine, https://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/life-after-oil/how-far-can-we-get-without-flying-20160211
- Kevin Anderson (2016), “A succinct account of my view on individual and collective action.” kevinanderson.info,
http://kevinanderson.info/blog/a-succinct-account-of-my-view-on-individual-and-collective-action/
10.0 Personal Footprint Statements, Sample Carbon Budgets & Low-Carbon Lifestyles, by Academics
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/live-sustainably-now/9780231190909
- Brett Favaro’s The Carbon Code (2017):
https://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/title/carbon-code
11.0 Media Coverage of Flying Less
- Tufts Now (2023). “CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY: Why One Professor Stopped Flying to Help the Planet.” Parke Wilde. https://now.tufts.edu/2023/10/12/why-one-professor-stopped-flying-help-planet
- Josie Glausiusz (2021). “Rethinking travel in a post-pandemic world,” Nature: Career Feature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03649-8
- Moira Macdonald (2020). “The sudden urgency of online academic conferences” University Affairs https://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/the-sudden-urgency-of-online-academic-conferences/
- Shuyler Velasco (2020). How do you hold a climate-friendly conference? Log in. Experience (February). https://expmag.com/2020/02/how-do-you-hold-a-climate-friendly-conference-log-in/
- Alan Yu (2020), “What happens when academics fly less to conferences?,” The Source (WHYY, Philadelphia). https://whyy.org/segments/what-happens-when-academics-fly-less-to-conferences/
- Emma Jacobs (2020), “These academics want to lead the way to flying less,” Marketplace (public radio). https://www.marketplace.org/2020/01/01/these-academics-want-to-lead-the-way-to-flying-less/
- Alison Abbott (2019), “Low-carbon, virtual science conference tries to recreate social buzz,” Nature News https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03899-1
- Elizabeth Redden (2019), “International Education in an Era of Climate Change,” Inside Higher Ed https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/12/19/international-educators-begin-confront-climate-crisis?utm_source=Academica+Top+Ten
- Megan Manata (2019), “Choosing Not To Fly Home For The Holidays, For The Climate's Sake,” NPR Choosing Not To Fly Home For The Holidays, For The Climate's Sake
- Canadian Association of University Teachers (2019), “Flying Less” https://www.caut.ca/bulletin/2019/11/flying-less
- Nikki Macdonald (2019), “Physicist Shaun Hendy maps the lows, highs and sleepless buses of a no-fly year” Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/116310946/physicist-shaun-hendy-maps-the-lows-highs-and-sleepless-buses-of-a-nofly-year
- Sara Peach (2019), “How can academic and professional organizations reduce flying to conferences?” Yale Climate Connections https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2019/10/how-can-academic-and-professional-organizations-reduce-flying-to-conferences/
- Christine Middleton (2019),” Environmental sustainability goals drive changes in conference practices, Physics Today: https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.4291
- Rebecca Tuhus Dubrow (2019) “Flight Shame: The Climate Hazards of Air Travel,” New York Review of Books: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2019/08/31/flight-shame-the-climate-hazards-of-air-travel/
- Henry Wismayer (2019) “A Future Without Long-Haul Vacations,” The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/travel-writer-envisions-future-without-vacations/597016/
- Joe Friesen (2019) “Academics Pledge to Fly Less Due to Environmental Impact of Air Travel,” The Globe & Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-academics-pledge-to-fly-less-due-to-environmental-impact-of-air-travel/
- Antonia Wilson (2019) “Dutch airline KLM calls for people to fly less,” The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/jul/11/dutch-airline-klm-calls-for-people-to-fly-less-carbon-offsetting-scheme
- Kate Langin (2019), “Why some climate scientists are saying no to flying,” Science, https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2019/05/why-some-climate-scientists-are-saying-no-flying
- Emine Saner (2019). “Could You Give up Flying? Meet the No-Plane Pioneers.” The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/may/22/could-you-give-up-flying-meet-the-no-plane-pioneers.
- Andrew Sullivan (2018), “To Fly or Not to Fly: The Environmental Cost of Air Travel” DW.com, https://www.dw.com/en/to-fly-or-not-to-fly-the-environmental-cost-of-air-travel/a-42090155-0
- Sarah Myhre (2018), “Should Climate Scientists Fly?”
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/should-climate-scientists-fly/
https://thegreenmama.com/real-cost-air-travel/ (reprinted in more accessible format from the Vancouver Observer)
12.0 Virtual, Digital, or Multi-Hub Conferences/ing
- Whitfield, K.E., Jarvis, T.C., Weimen, S. and Bousema, T., 2024. Geographic Equity and Environmental Sustainability of Conference Models: Results of a Comparative Analysis. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, pp.tpmd230832-tpmd230832.
- Yates, J., Kadiyala, S., Li, Y., Levy, S., Endashaw, A., Perlick, H. and Wilde, P. (2022). Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences. The Lancet Planetary Health, 6(2), pp.e164-e170. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542519621003557
- Skiles, M., Yang, E., Reshef, O., Muñoz, D.R., Cintron, D., Lind, M.L., Rush, A., Calleja, P.P., Nerenberg, R., Armani, A. and M Faust, K. (2021). Conference demographics and footprint changed by virtual platforms. Nature Sustainability, pp.1-8. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-021-00823-2
- Sarabipour S, Khan A, Seah YFS, Mwakilili AD, Mumoki FN, Sáez PJ, Schwessinger B, Debat HJ, Mestrovic T (2021). “Changing scientific meetings for the better.” Nature Human Behavior 5: 296-300. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01067-y
- Energy In/Out of Place: A Virtual Energy Humanities Research-Creation Conference (May 19-22, 2020):
http://www.energhumanities.ca/
- SCA Biennial: Distribute 2020 (Society for Cultural Anthropology & Society for Visual Anthropology, May 7-9, 2020): https://distribute.utoronto.ca/about/
- CIES 2020 (Comparative & International Education Society, March 22-26, 2020) https://cies2020.org/virtual-conference/
- Canadian Anthropology Society and American Anthropological Association conference’s Changing Climates Conference (November 2019): https://culanth.org/fieldsights/reimagining-the-annual-meeting-for-an-era-of-radical-climate-change
- CAREebrs Conference 2019 (European Biological Rhythms Society, November 18, 2019): https://www.careconferences.org/our-concept/10-care/59-programs.html
- University of Sheffield: Reducing Academic Flying 2019 (November 13, 2019: https://www.carbonneutraluniversity.org/reducing-academic-flying.html
- CET Beyond Oil Conference 2017 & 2019: https://www.uib.no/en/cet/131106/low-carbon-conferencing-co2e-experiments-and-lessons-learned
- Stay Grounded Workshop 2019: https://stay-grounded.org/workshops-conference/
- Displacements 2018 (Society for Cultural Anthropology, spring 2018): https://displacements.jhu.edu/
- Climate Change: Views from the Humanities (2016): http://ehc.english.ucsb.edu/?page_id=12687
- Sustainable Research: Modelling Nearly Carbon-Neutral Practices in the 21st Century: https://aroundtheworld.ualberta.ca/
- University of Alberta “Around the World” Digital Conference: https://aroundtheworld.ualberta.ca/
- Biennial Meeting of the Society for Cultural Anthropology: https://displacements.jhu.edu/displacements/
- International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition: https://music-psychology-conference2018.uni-graz.at/en/about/
- Academy of Management Virtual Conferences https://aom.org/Meetings/AOM-Webinars/Virtual-Conferences.aspx
- Canada International Conference on Education http://ciceducation.org/format/virtual-presentation/
- EduTeach Conference http://educationconference.info/virtual-presentations/
- World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership http://www.globalcenter.info/wclta/?page_id=26
- International Academic Conference of the Social Sciences http://socscienceconf.com/index.php?a=main&pid=33&lang=eng
- The International Conferences ICT4S – ICT for Sustainability www.ICT4S.org (not multi-hub, is virtual archive of Canadian topically related)
- AGU Chapman Climate Conference 2013, convenor Jame Byrne https://chapman.agu.org/climatescience/files/2013/05/Final-Program-5-23.pdf and 2019: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/agu-climate-solutions-conferences-building-change-james-byrne/ (not multi-hub, is virtual archive of topically related)
- We Don’t Have Time. Climate conference series. https://wedonthavetime.confetti.events
- Annual #flyingless New Years’ Eve Eve Party. Dec 30, 2018 (and hold the date for Dec 30, 2019). https://academicflyingblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/join-us-for-flightfree2019-social-dec-30/ (video).
- Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) webinar 2018. The Climate-Friendly Global Academic Conference with a Human Touch. https://www.aashe.org/calendar/climate-friendly-conference/ (YouTube).
- Signs of Change National Networked e-Conference (New Zealand). Krumdieck and Orchard (2011). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233518437_Signs_of_Change_National_Networked_e-Conference_Highlighting_emerging_sustainability_and_social_business
13.0 Practical Guides for Low-Carbon Conferencing
https://hiltner.english.ucsb.edu/index.php/ncnc-guide/
14.0 Carbon Offsetting
Carbon offsetting is fraught with conceptual and material challenges. However, some organizations are starting to lay out some ‘ground rules’ to help determine circumstances where carbon offsets are likely to effectively result in net zero climatic impact.
15.0 Guides for Train (and other Low-Carbon) Travel
- Mark Smith. (2019) “The man in seat 61”. Comprehensive guide for how to get from A to B by train. https://www.seat61.com/index.html
- Rail.cc (2019). Independent blog and forum on booking train travel around the world. https://rail.cc/en
- Katz-Rosene (2011). “On VIA Rail’s The Canadian”.
16.0 Behavioural Change, Norms & Tipping Points in Academia
As we see it, the “Individual vs. Collective Action debate” is a bit of a red herring. More and more research is pointing to the need for BOTH individual change and system change, and moreover there being a RELATIONSHIP between the two! Here are some links to studies, discussions or reflections on how to effect behavioral change in Academia regarding flying.
- Attari et al (2019) “Climate change communicators’ carbon footprints affect their audience’s policy support” Climatic Change:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-019-02463-0
17.0 The Science of Aviation and Climate Change
- This is an exceptionally clear and helpful explanatory piece detailing how aviation impacts the climate.
18.0 Governance/Policy of Aviation and Climate
- Marianne Aasen, John Thøgersen,Arild Vatn,Riley Dunlap, Dana Fisher, Ottar Hellevik, et al. (2022). The limited influence of climate norms on leisure air travel. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669582.2022.2097687?journalCode=rsus20#.YvOBcMQBtvQ.twitter
- Wynes and Nicholas (2019), “Flying Less is Critical to a Safe Climate Future,” Public Administration Review: https://www.publicadministrationreview.com/2019/07/16/gnd24/
- Larsson et al., (2019), “International and national climate policies for aviation: a review”, Climate Policy, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2018.1562871
- Jocelyn Timperley (2019). “Corsia: The UN’s Plan to ‘Offset’ Growth in Aviation Emissions after 2020.” Carbon Brief: https://www.carbonbrief.org/corsia-un-plan-to-offset-growth-in-aviation-emissions-after-2020.
- Lisa Song (2019), “An even more inconenient truth: Why carbon credits for forest preservation may be worse than nothing.” ProPublica. https://features.propublica.org/brazil-carbon-offsets/inconvenient-truth-carbon-credits-dont-work-deforestation-redd-acre-cambodia/
- Chris Lyle (2018), “Beyond the ICAO’s CORSIA: Towards a More Climatically Effective Strategy for Mitigation of Civil-Aviation Emissions.” Climate Law: https://doi.org/10.1163/18786561-00801004
- Andreas Schäfer et al. (2018), “Technological, Economic and Environmental Prospects of All-Electric Aircraft.” Nature Energy: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-018-0294-x.
- Katz-Rosene (2017), “The Policy Dilemma of Aviation Emissions” Policy Options: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/november-2017/the-policy-dilemma-of-aviation-emissions/
- Paul Peeters et al. (2016) “Are Technology Myths Stalling Aviation Climate Policy?” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2016.02.004.
- Steven Truxal (2016), Economic and Environmental Regulation of International Aviation : From International to Global Governance. (Routledge): https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315731001.
- Jonatah Bosch et al (2016), “Aviation Biofuels: Strategically Important, Technically Achievable, Tough to Deliver.” Briefing Paper No 23. London: Imperial College London: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/grantham-institute/public/publications/briefing-papers/BP-23-Aviation-Biofuels.pdf
- Pidcock & Yeo (2016), “Analysis: Aviation could consume a quarter of 1.5C carbon budget by 2050. Carbon Brief: https://www.carbonbrief.org/aviation-consume-quarter-carbon-budget
- Martin Cames et al. (2016), “How Additional Is the Clean Development Mechanism?”https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/ets/docs/clean_dev_mechanism_en.pdf
- Christine Negroni (2016) “How Much of the World’s Population Has Flown in an Airplane?” Air & Space Magazine https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/how-much-worlds-population-has-flown-airplane-180957719/
- Alice Bows-Larkin (2015) “All Adrift: Aviation, Shipping, and Climate Change Policy.” Climate Policy https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2014.965125
- Tolga Dursun & Costas Soutis (2014) “Recent Developments in Advanced Aircraft Aluminium Alloys.” Materials & Design https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2013.12.002
- Sharon Beder (2014), “Carbon offsets can do more environmental harm than good.” Conversation. https://theconversation.com/carbon-offsets-can-do-more-environmental-harm-than-good-26593
- Rob Bailey (2013), “The Trouble with Biofuels: Costs and Consequences of Expanding Biofuel Use in the United Kingdom” Chatham House: The Royal Institute of International Affairs: https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/190783
- Kate Ervine (2012). “The Politics and Practice of Carbon Offsetting: Silencing Dissent.” New Political Science https://doi.org/10.1080/07393148.2012.646017
- Arpad Horvath & Mikhail Chester (2007), “Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of Passenger Transportation: An Energy, Greenhouse Gas, and Criteria Pollutant Inventory of Rail and Air Transportation.” University of California Transportation Center: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5670921q
19.0 Carbon Calculators for Flights and Conferences
- Travel Carbon Footprint Calculator. There are so many different flight carbon footprint calculators out there, each using vastly different methodologies. Didier Barret’s new tool provides a mean estimate for seven different calculators. It can also provide estimates for individuals or groups (as in a conference): https://travel-footprint-calculator.irap.omp.eu/
- Association of Computing Machinery SIGPLAN's conference carbon calculator allows organizers to upload a spreadsheet of conference attendee data to calculate total air travel footprint. https://co2calculator.acm.org/
- “How to calculate your carbon footprint from flying” (2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrCX_mawAmk&feature=youtu.be
20.0 Videos and Webinars on Flying Less
21.0 Businesses and Other Sectors Flying Less
- WWF (2010) “One in five”.
Initiative to cut business emissions in the UK; trial included 24% flight reduction by BT in one year. https://web.archive.org/web/20120716233854/https://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/BlogEngine/post/WWF-One-in-Five-Challenge-e28093-A-high-flying-campaign-to-reduce-aviation-emissions.aspx
- Additional holiday days for employees to use ground travel options
- Posteo.de: The e-mail provider has also refused business air travel since its founding (https://posteo.de/site/nachhaltigkeit)
- Members of the Climate Perks initiative (https://www.climateperks.com/)
- Weiber Wirtschaft: Feminist entrepreneurship collective (https://weiberwirtschaft.de/fileadmin/user_data/pdf/Presse/PM_2019_05_27.pdf)
- Lush UK: Hygiene products manufacturer and retailer. https://uk.lush.com/article/air-travel-and-carbon-tax-policy
- The German initiative "Einfach jetzt machen!" brings together companies who refuse domestic flights and air travel for journeys shorter than 1.000 km. Participants are listed on the homepage (https://einfach-jetzt-machen.de) and include a bank, retailers, service companies (from cleaning to accounting and medical services), political parties/groups etc. Many are small/regional businesses.
- The municipalities of Malmö (Sweden) and Zürich (Switzerland; https://www.nzz.ch/zuerich/flugreisen-staedtischer-angestellter-zuerich-will-ueber-die-buecher-ld.1507182) are considering restrictive air travel policies for their staff.
22.0 Co-benefits of Flying Less (Health, Equity, Inclusion...)
23.0 Art, Creative Projects, and Inspiration
- “From 2009-2010, we tried to get around the world aviation-free, while interviewing about sixty climate, environmental, and transportation activists in a dozen countries.” http://www.yearofnoflying.com/
- Johannes Stripple et al. (2019) “Carbon Ruins.”
24.0 Flying Less Researcher Networks
An increasing number of researchers are turning their attention to the science and policy of flight reduction for climate change mitigation.
Here are a list of PhD students whose work centers on flying less (if you’re a researcher who wants to join the list, get in touch!):
- Veronica Ahonen (on Twitter @veroahonen)
- Aksel Biorn-Hansesn (on Twitter @akselpaxel)
- Agnes Kreil (on Twitter @AgnesKreil)
- Anthony Schmidt (on Twitter @AnthonyTeacher)
- Sara Ullstrom (on Twitter @SaraUllstrom)
- ArianeWenger (on Twitter @ArianeWenger)
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