Rethinking Academic Conferences
Carbon Footprints and Sustainable Alternatives in the Climate Crisis Era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28138Keywords:
carbon footprint, climate change, climate justice, ecosocial work, sustainabilityAbstract
In the era of the climate crisis, academic conferences, while crucial for knowledge exchange, present a dilemma due to their significant carbon emissions from air travel. This commentary examines the environmental impact of attending academic conferences, focusing on the carbon footprint of traveling to the annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) conference to begin to shed light on our field’s contribution to climate change. We estimate that the average air travel carbon footprint for an individual who presented at SSWR 2023 was 0.82 tonnes of carbon emissions. Furthermore, we explore alternative conference models, such as virtual and hub and node models, highlighting their potential to reduce carbon emissions while enhancing accessibility. As climate change requires collective global efforts and systemic change, we argue that the field of social work, with its commitment to social justice and activism, has a crucial role to play in driving these changes within academia and beyond. Reflecting on our part in climate change, initiating dialogue, and creating a strategic roadmap for alternative conference formats is an essential step for our field to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Joonmo Kang, Babu Gounder, Chris Weatherly, Aliya Jankowski, Lisa Reyes Mason
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