It’s not easy being green: Sustainability in Science

With global efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of almost every sector on the increase, is there anything that we can do as scientists and researchers to take part?

The hidden cost of discovery…

Science is the lens through which we understand the natural world; from tackling global pandemics to discovering new treatments for diseases, from engineering breakthroughs to tracking climate change. However the pursuit of knowledge comes at a price that is often overlooked.

Carbon cost of “big science”: Large-scale scientific infrastructure such as partial accelerators and satellite networks obviously consumes a large amount of energy. However there is a massive carbon footprint associates with everyday technologies such as the databanks which are responsible for cloud storage and generative AI large language models. In 2020, the global greenhouse gas emissions of these industries surpassed those of the aviation sector.

A Sea of single-use plastics: From personal experience, it is quite disheartening just how reliant you become on single-use plastics when working in a “wet” lab. Pipette tips, nitrile gloves, tissue culture flasks and Petri dishes are used in incredibly large volumes across the world, every minute of every day. While they are essential for precision and reproducibility, they present a large amount of non-biodegradable waste that requires energy to produce, transport and dispose of.

Globetrotting scientists: While we are more digitally connected than ever, in-person collaboration, fieldwork and conferences remain an integral aspect of science. These global activities often rely heavily on fossil fuel-powered transportation.

Under-reporting negative data: In a culture where sexy science is published in high-impact factor journals, there is little incentive to publish negative data. When negative or non-significant data is not openly available, it becomes hard to prevent time, money and resources being wasted in pursuing lines of enquiry that may already have been shown not to be of value, but remained unpublished due to lack of incentive.

The environmental impact of scientific research is increasingly apparent to those who work in the industry, and different organisations are working to take accountability of this and bring the research community together in an effort to make sustainable changes.

How science can become greener...

Earlier this year the Science Europe Environmental Impact Briefing was published, addressing the issues discussed above and focusing on how research culture is shifting to hold sustainability as a core value. Initiatives such as this show that the scientific community acutely aware of the problem, and are adapting their work in the following ways:

Green algorithms: there is ongoing work by tech companies and data scientists to improve and optimise model efficiency, therefore reducing the energy required and the emissions produced by large scientific and data facilities.

Lab practices: Some labs are returning to their non-plastic based routes by swapping disposable plastics for glassware, and hiring lab technicians to oversee the washing and sterilisation of this reusable equipment. This kind of action is only appropriate for certain lab equipment, so currently there will always be a certain level of reliance on single-use plastic, however this is a step in the right direction. Researchers are also being encouraged to rethink the how they use single-use plastic in their experimental protocols.

Sustainable supply chains: Universities and institutions are evaluating their supply chains, switching to manufacturers that have smaller environmental impacts and opt to use renewable energy when producing equipment and reagents.

Virtual conferences: The shift to hybrid and virtual events (which was aided by the remote-working landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic) now allows scientists to connect, collaborate, network and share data without the environmental footprint of international travel. There is the added benefit of conferences being more accessible to researchers who lack the resources to attend such events in person.

How Paperstars can help: 

By focusing on quality over quantity, Paperstars is nurturing a culture of accountability in academic literature; increasing integrity and rigour in science publishing, thus reducing wasted time and resources pursuing dead ends.

At the end of the day...

Science is a double-edged sword when it comes to environmental impact: although science is the tool we have used to become aware of the climate change and the ways in which to mitigate the effects of carbon emissions etc, the research sector is incredibly resource-hungry, which results in a carbon footprint of its own.

However, the environmental impact of science and research does not outweigh its value in society. By optimising research practices; putting sustainability, integrity and transparency at the forefront of scientific values, we can invest in the future, both in academically and environmentally.

Sign up to Paperstars today and become part of the sustainability revolution!