The shift to online academic conferences significantly lowers carbon emissions. This article analyzes the European Consortium for Political Research's (ECPR) 2020 virtual event compared to its physical counterpart.
Methodology & Findings
Using a comprehensive approach, we estimated greenhouse gas emissions from electricity usage, travel, heating, and catering.
The results reveal:
• Virtual ECPR conference had a footprint at least 97 times smaller than the in-person version
• Potential reduction of over 200x if no international flights occurred
Hybrid conferences—especially those promoting land-based travel for attendees—are shown to be nearly as effective, cutting emissions by almost 90%.
| Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Academic Conferences by Online Participation: The Case of the 2020 Virtual Ecpr General Conference was authored by Sebastian Jäckle. It was published by Cambridge in PS in 2021. |
