Climate Action Day 19 – Find Alternatives for Work-related Travel

Travel and Work

The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024

In March 2020 we were all sent home from work into quarantine, confusion, anxiety and a massive change in how we did business. Since then, for administrative roles, remote work is becoming the norm. The ultimate impact on how offices are maintained and the future of commercial real estate has yet to be realized. We are in the midst of a great evolution of how we go to work with an as yet to be determined impact on climate change mitigation.

The prevalence and format of large business meetings, trade shows, symposia, and conferences are evolving as well. I used to attend and participate in trade shows and scientific conferences routinely before the pandemic. Then I felt no uneasiness about being in the presence of 1000s of attendees. And I never reflected on the climate cost of the emissions from the airline travel to and the hotel stays during the events. Heidi cites estimates that a large meeting with attendees from dozens of countries can result in upwards of 15,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.

In October 2022 I attended my first in-person conference since the pandemic. It was weird and uncomfortable. We all were not used to being with other people and comfortably chatting like we used to. Today, with higher vaccination rates and lower prevalence of Covid, attendance at large events is increasing – for instance the attendance at the recent CES2024 show was over 135,000 of which over 40% came from 150 countries, regions and territories.

Note: The “good news” announced on the first day of the show was the Consumer Technology Circularity Initiative “a groundbreaking and voluntary industry initiative to reduce waste, encourage more reuse, enhance recycling, reduce climate impact, and see less disposal of consumer electronics”, so at least we have that little bit of greenwashing going for us.

I have participated in remote, hybrid, and in-person meetings. My current opinion is that in-person meetings are the most productive in that they encourage more natural and engaging human interactions. A recent study from Yale suggests that virtual meetings are less engaging than in-person meetings, as measured by activity in brain areas associated with facial processing and social interaction.

“The pandemic accelerated a transition toward less travel and a wider adoption of virtual meetings and more hybrid options for conferences”

Heidi Roop

The issue is far from settled and every group that has a reason to meet and interact is finding their own way. For meetings at our company headquarters, for instance, the definite trend is away from hybrid meetings, which are uniformly viewed as awkward and unproductive. There is an emerging preference that any given meeting or seminar be either entirely in person or entirely online.

We have also made a complete transition in the way we host seminars from professors and scientists. Previously, we would pay professors and scientists to visit our facility to give a talk in person. Since the pandemic we pivoted away from that format and have grown to appreciate and prefer fully remote seminars where they are engaged through a moderated and lively chat during the talk. It is also much easier to share relevant information during the seminar and have the speaker answer online questions if time runs short. I believe that this mode will remain the norm for one presenter talking to a group moving forward. If we keep doing it, it will represent a measurable reduction for our company in the climate impact on this kind of information exchange – a net positive result from the pandemic.

The message of this chapter is unclear. Consider that the “COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, was the biggest of its kind. Some 85,000 participants, including more than 150 Heads of State and Government, were among the representatives of national delegations, civil society, business, Indigenous Peoples, youth, philanthropy, and international organizations in attendance at the Conference from 30 November to 13 December 2023.” The climate denial and disinformation apparatus will likely note the hypocrisy of the carbon emissions generated by such a large, in-person meeting. Others will argue that it is only by convening in-person that we can effectively make progress.

Now consider the transatlantic voyages of Greta Thunberg on sail boats. As an activist Greta found it difficult to rationalize air travel so she started traveling in austere conditions to important events to minimize her carbon footprint for travel. She was invited to a speak at two events in 2019, the UN Climate Action Action Summit in New York and COP25 in Chile. She sailed from Plymouth, UK to New York in August of 2019 and was greeted by hundreds of supporters when she arrived (when asked what she would tell then President Trump she offered “Listen to the science, he obviously doesn’t do that”). When the COP25 meeting was moved to Spain, she sailed there from the US to deliver a speech critical of pace of global progress on addressing climate change.

I offer these anecdotes because it highlights the challenges inherent in gathering humans from all over the world to meet together. What would motivate you to fly to a meeting? Discussing global cooperation on fighting climate change? How about seeing all the cool new consumer electronics? Is the event worth the emissions from all the planes and hotel stays? Can nuanced discussions and negotiations about the fate of the planet be done remotely, given the emerging evidence regarding the relative ineffectiveness of large-group online interactions? Would you personally consider more time consuming and difficult travel options that have a lower emissions impact (remember the Tragedy of the Commons)?

The strong message here is not evident. The change in how we meet since the pandemic is underway but the eventual outcome and the new normal is unclear. In keeping with her overall message, Heidi encourages moderation, thoughtful consideration, and choosing any and all approaches that minimize emissions. The individual choice is left to you.

Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 20: Learn About Climate Financing

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Howard Creel

#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com