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The carbon footprint of research papers

Nature Photonics volume 17, page 375 (2023)Cite this article

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Science has a cost. While staff, equipment and consumables are standard entries in any project budget, an interesting question not explored in detail is how much energy is used to generate a research paper, and thus what is its carbon footprint1?

In this specific estimate, the dominant contribution was the energy required to acquire the data while the analysis was performed using a standard computer. However, it often happens that computer clusters or supercomputers are used, with a substantial increase in the energy cost. Travels associated with the research can have a large impact as well. Often collaborators cover large distances to reach a facility or a laboratory to accomplish their research. The Airbus 380, one of the most efficient long-range airplanes, consumes about 133 kWh per hour and per person4,5. A team of five persons, crossing the ocean back and forth to attend an experiment, can have a substantial impact on the energetic budget of an eventual paper.

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Fig. 1: Energy cost breakdown for my paper writing.

References

  1. Greenhouse Gases — Carbon Footprint of Products — Requirements and Guidelines for Quantification ISO 14067:2018 (ISO, 2018); https://www.iso.org/standard/71206.html

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  1. Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA, Trieste, Italy

    Riccardo Mincigrucci

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  1. Riccardo Mincigrucci
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Correspondence to Riccardo Mincigrucci.

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Mincigrucci, R. The carbon footprint of research papers. Nat. Photon. 17, 375 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-023-01202-3

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