The carbon footprint of research infrastructures challenges the environmental responsibility of INSU laboratoires

To limit global warming to less than 2°C, it is necessary to radically reduce current greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Scientists should also participate in this effort as part of their professional activity, particularly specialists in Earth and environmental sciences, in order to preserve their credibility and set an example. This requires detailed estimates of the GHG emissions associated with the activities of scientists, here measured by the carbon footprint of laboratories. In particular, the footprint of large international research infrastructures (satellites, scientific vessels, etc.) had been little studied until now.

Read more on the CNRS Terre & Univers website (in French)

Contact GET: Odin Marc

Sources :

Marc O, Barret M, Biancamaria S, Dassas K, Firmin A, et al. (2024) Comprehensive carbon footprint of Earth, environmental and space science laboratories: Implications for sustainable scientific practice. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation 3(10): e0000135.

More news

MACIV nodes: an exceptional seismological network on the volcanoes of the Massif Central

As part of the MACIV project, funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), a team of scientists deployed the largest mobile seismological network ever installed by a university team […]

Laterites, archives of past climate and keys to present development

The scarlet lands covering the plains and plateaus of West Africa are much more than just a typical tropical landscape. These laterites bear witness to a geological history spanning tens […]

Unprecedented mineral and organic compounds discovered in Mars’ Jezero Crater

The Perseverance rover has uncovered sedimentary rocks containing minerals and organic matter organized into structures never before seen on Mars, opening up new perspectives on the Red Planet’s past habitability. […]

Search