Essay by Eric Worrall
“Barriers” to climate action include pressure to travel, and a lack of financial incentives to embrace low carbon approaches to research.
Climate change: university researchers feel powerless to take action – survey
Published: January 31, 2024 2.38am AEDT
Briony Latter
Researcher in Climate Change Engagement, Cardiff UniversityUniversity researchers in the UK, across all disciplines and at all career stages, are struggling to take action against climate change despite wanting to do so.
Many academics worry about climate change but face several barriers to changing their habits, including the pressure to travel. In one case, a climate researcher conducting field work abroad wanted to use slower and more sustainable forms of transport rather than fly back to work at a research institute in Germany. He was fired.
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The majority think their university does not give them enough information about how to conduct research in a sustainable way. Funding processes, such as applications for grants to carry out research, do not incentivise low-carbon approaches either, they say.
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Different barriers to climate action appear at different career stages. Early career researchers in particular lack institutional support (such as job security or the encouragement to act), are involved in few projects about climate change (whether as part of research or outside of their roles) and feel uncertain about what they can do.
Mid-career researchers were more likely to complain of a high workload thwarting their ambitions. When asked if senior researchers should have a high responsibility for addressing climate change in universities, senior researchers themselves were more likely to think so than early and mid-career researchers, suggesting that they recognise their own potential role.
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Read more: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-university-researchers-feel-powerless-to-take-action-survey-221830
Why are academics yielding to pressure to travel frequently, if every flight brings us closer to a lethal climate tipping point? Why is keeping their job so important, if the world is on the brink of climate catastrophe?
Why do university academics want OTHERS to spoon-feed them information on how they can be more carbon neutral? Why can’t they take 5 minutes to look up low carbon lifestyle and professional alternatives for themselves?
If this pathetic effort is all the energy and concern university academics can muster to address the alleged climate crisis, there is no reason for the rest of us care.
Not only was the chap who refused to fly rightfully fired, but this airhead writing the article should be relegated to wearing a Starbucks apron or a MacDonald’s hat! She has no clue on how to do 20 minutes of digging and simple maths to have a look at the CO2 emission of various modes of transport. I present my findings as follows:
JetA produces 3.106 lbs of CO2 per lb of fuel burned, as does diesel and let’s say bunker oil for a ship is the same although it is likely higher.
Gasoline or Petrol produces 3.088 lbs CO2/lb of fuel burned.
Modes of transport: (listed worst to best regards “evil” CO2 emissions, per passenger mile)
Avg cargo ship – 100 pax; 17,000 lbs fuel/hr; 25 mph; yields 21.12 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Cruise ship – 2500 pax; 17,000 lbs fuel/hr; 25 mph; yields 0.845 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Human Walking – 1200 miles per year; 530 lbs CO2 yields 0.442 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Commuter train – 150 pax; 44 lbs CO2/mile; 0.293 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Airbus A330-300 – 275 pax; 14300 lbs fuel/hr; 600 mph; yields 0.269 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Boeing 747-8 – 470 pax; 21000 lbs fuel/hr; 600 mph; yields 0.231 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
mid sized car – 4 pax; 0.277 lbs fuel per mile; yields 0.214 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Boeing 777er – 375 pax; 14000 lbs fuel/hr; 600 mph; yields 0.193 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
Boeing 737-800 – 160 pax; 5575 lbs fuel/hr; 600 mph; yields 0.180 lbs CO2 per passenger mile.
So you see, flying to do so called research can be one of the lowest “carbon footprint” of modes of transport. Thus numbskull cannot even do simple digging of published details, or perform simple math. Mind you I did use basic chemistry mass/molar balance to derive the CO2 per unit fuel consumed – but even that is simple to look up even for an arts idiot or worse some sociopath, oops I mean sociologist….
Besides all of that, CO2 is not some evil, apocalyptic compound, it is the essence of Life, and to be aligned against it is to be anti life, and a serious misanthrope!
The one who refused to fly was, supposedly, an economist as well as a green activist – one would’ve hoped he could add the numbers but apparently not.
How smart can these “researchers” be? Not one of them appears to have questioned how their individual contribution to CO2 production stacks up. They think they are saving the world…
Not a clue that they are less than insignificant compared to 12 gigatons a year, increasing at .4 to .5 gigatons per year from China.
Poor researchers if they can’t find the answers for themselves.
They are SOOOOO concerned about global warming, that they have to be bribed in order to use low carbon research techniques?
Really?