The carbon footprint of astronomical observatories

TL;DR

This paper assesses the carbon footprint of astronomical research and observatories, emphasizing the need for systemic change to reduce emissions and keep global warming within safe limits.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the sources of greenhouse gases in astronomy and discusses strategies for significant emission reductions.

Findings

Astronomical observatories contribute notably to the field's carbon footprint.

Reducing emissions to meet 1.5°C or 2°C warming targets requires systemic changes.

Astronomy's carbon footprint is comparable to other scientific disciplines.

Abstract

The carbon footprint of astronomical research is an increasingly topical issue. From a comparison of existing literature, we infer an annual per capita carbon footprint of several tens of tonnes of CO$_2$ equivalents for an average person working in astronomy. Astronomical observatories contribute significantly to the carbon footprint of astronomy, and we examine the related sources of greenhouse gas emissions as well as lever arms for their reduction. Comparison with other scientific domains illustrates that astronomy is not the only field that needs to accomplish significant carbon footprint reductions of their research facilities. We show that limiting global warming to 1.5{\deg}C or 2{\deg}C implies greenhouse gas emission reductions that can only be reached by a systemic change of astronomical research activities, and we argue that a new narrative for doing astronomical research is needed if we want to keep our planet habitable.