The Carbon Footprint of Astronomical Research Infrastructures - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2022

The Carbon Footprint of Astronomical Research Infrastructures

Résumé

We estimate the carbon footprint of astronomical research infrastructures, including space telescopes and probes and ground-based observatories. Our analysis suggests annual greenhouse gas emissions of 1.2 ± 0.2 MtCO2e yr −1 due to construction and operation of the world-fleet of astronomical observatories, corresponding to a carbon footprint of 36.6±14.0 tCO2e per year and average astronomer. We show that decarbonising astronomical facilities is compromised by the continuous deployment of new facilities, suggesting that a significant reduction in the deployment pace of new facilities is needed to reduce the carbon footprint of astronomy. We propose measures that would bring astronomical activities more in line with the imperative to reduce the carbon footprint of all human activities.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
2022sf2a.conf..13K.pdf (258.79 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte
Licence : CC BY - Paternité

Dates et versions

hal-04022060 , version 1 (09-03-2023)

Licence

Paternité

Identifiants

Citer

Jürgen Knödlseder. The Carbon Footprint of Astronomical Research Infrastructures. Journées de la Société Française d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique, Société Française d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique, Jun 2022, Besançon, France. ⟨hal-04022060⟩
49 Consultations
34 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More