Pathways to Sustainable Planetary Science

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes the importance of planetary scientists adopting environmentally responsible behaviors, especially reducing academic travel, to lower the community's carbon footprint and contribute to climate change mitigation.

Contribution

It highlights the significant carbon footprint of planetary scientists and proposes modifications in activities and community practices to promote sustainability.

Findings

Academic travel contributes significantly to scientists' carbon footprint.

Community-wide behavioral changes can reduce environmental impact.

Recommendations for funding agencies to support sustainable practices.

Abstract

Climate change is a major impending threat to the future of humanity. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), our emissions are estimated to have caused 0.8 deg C-1.2 deg C of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) above pre-industrial levels. AGW is likely to reach 1.5 degrees C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate. As the climate change is driven by the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, there is a broad consensus that the mitigation of climate change requires transition to low GHG emission energy sources, technologies and practices. Implementing such changes systematically from individual to community-wide scales together with the resulting cultural changes and leadership towards environmental consciousness and responsibility are crucial to mitigate the looming damage of AGW. Given planetary scientists' wide recognition of the realities of climate change, and the need for us to maintain credibility by leading by example, it is appropriate to make own professional behavior more environmentally responsible. While scientists are few in numbers, and planetary scientists far fewer, high volumes of academic travel to conferences, panels, colloquia, and research collaboration visits together with extensive use of large, energetically demanding infrastructures make the "carbon footprint" of scientists much higher than that of an average citizen. This White Paper focuses on how modifying our activities, particularly associated with academic travel, can affect the carbon footprint of the planetary science community, and it makes recommendations on how the community and the funding agencies could best participate in the cultural change required to mitigate the damage that AGW will cause.