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Reducing academic air travel: An analysis of shifting conference practices, material culture, and cognitive norms

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Academic institutions, particularly in the Global North, face increasing pressure to meet climate targets, with air travel – especially intercontinental flights – being a major contributor to their greenhouse gas emissions. Academic air travel also raises financial and social concerns related to equity, inclusivity, and diversity. Conferences, a major driver of academic air travel, are deeply embedded in research culture. While the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift to virtual and hybrid conferences, which demonstrated notable environmental and inclusivity benefits, there has been a return to in-person conferences. In her dissertation, Ariane Wenger explores strategies to reduce academic conference air travel through the transport cultures framework, focusing on practices, material culture, and cognitive norms. Employing a multimethod approach that combines qualitative and quantitative data, she investigates drivers, barriers, and opportunities for behavioural change, aiming to support more sustainable research practices.  The dissertation aims to inform diverse academic stakeholders and is closely related to the practice of ETH Zurich, including the ETH Air Travel Project.

About ETH Zurich’s Air Travel Project

ETH Zurich’s Air Travel Project, launched in 2017, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its members’ air travel. The individual reduction goals of the departments initially amounted to an average decrease in air travel emissions of 15% by 2025 compared to the period of 2016–2018. Initially adopted reduction measures varied by department, although almost all departments decided on an increased use of virtual communication.

In 2019, ETH Zurich began systematically monitoring its air travel emissions. The same year, the Swiss Federal Council introduced the “Climate Package,” requiring a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2006 levels. As part of the Swiss Federal Administration, ETH Zurich aligns with this target while also aiming for net zero emissions by 2030 for Scope 1, Scope 2, and business travel. Progress included a 10% reduction in ETH Zurich’s air travel emissions in 2019, followed by an 80% drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, ETH Zurich’s air travel emissions rebounded in 2023 to over 70% of 2019 levels, leading ETH Zurich to revise its air travel reduction measures to ensure it meets its 2030 goals.

ETH internal surveys showed that the ETH Air Travel Project is positively perceived by all ETH members, although project support varies across academic positions and time. Especially professors perceive air travel relevant for their work, whereas the scientific staff view it as somewhat less important for their work. Further, ETH members see the Covid-19 pandemic as a window of opportunity to reduce emissions from academic air travel, as opinions on virtual communication have improved.

Further information on the Air Travel Project of ETH Zurich can be found here: https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/sustainability/net-zero/air-travel.html.

Study I: Conference air travel’s relevance and ways to reduce it

This study examines the factors influencing the reduction of conference air travel by analysing data from eight online surveys conducted across three air travel projects – the ETH Air Travel Project, the Transflight, and the FlyingLess project. The surveys included researchers from 17 academic institutions across Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. Using the transport cultures framework, the study analyses how conference air travel is embedded in academia and identifies opportunities for its reduction. The results highlight the role of practices, material culture, and cognitive norms in maintaining air travel for conferences, which researchers view as essential for networking and career development. However, many researchers acknowledge the importance of reducing air travel, with the COVID-19 pandemic serving as a pivotal moment to adopt virtual conferences. Compared to in-person conferences, virtual formats offer benefits such as enhanced accessibility and lower greenhouse gas emissions, though challenges persist. Drawing on the survey results, the study proposes strategies and recommendations for long-term changes in practices, material culture, and cognitive norms to reduce conference air travel.

Study II: Shifting from academic air travel to sustainable research exchange: Examining networking efficacy during virtual conferences

Scientific conferences are an integral part of scientists’ work, as they provide opportunities to exchange knowledge and build professional networks. However, there have been calls for more sustainable and inclusive conferencing, as in-person conferences cause many emissions especially through the associated air travel. During the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual conferences provided a more sustainable and inclusive alternative, although virtual networking was often perceived as ineffective. To examine scientists’ experiences with virtual conferences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with virtual conference organizers and attendees. Factors mentioned as influencing networking efficacy during virtual conferences were categorized using the input-process-output framework. The resulting factors that facilitate or constrain virtual networking have revealed conference organizers’ important role to consider the structure of the conference carefully and to plan specific virtual networking sessions, as well as use technical equipment that facilitates networking. This study shows that best practice examples for effective networking during virtual conferences exist, thus providing a starting point for the shift from academic air travel to more sustainable research exchange.

Study III: Examining MEEhubs2024 – a hybrid multi-hub conference on microbial ecology and evolution

This study examines the organisation of hybrid multi-hub conferences through a case study of MEEhubs2024, a hybrid multi-hub conference on microbial ecology and evolution held in January 2024. Conference attendees participated either at one of six hubs across North America and Europe or joined virtually. Feedback from conference attendees was gathered through pre- and post-conference surveys (N = 150 and N = 118, respectively) and complemented by reflections from the organisers. The study assesses the scientific community’s adoption of this new conference format, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance accessibility, and increase inclusivity while addressing the networking limitations of fully virtual conferences. While participants generally evaluated the format positively, challenges such as limited interaction between hubs and participation modes, as well as technical and logistical hurdles, were noted. The study provides a practical template for organising hybrid multi-hub conferences and offers recommendations for improvement, including hiring technical hosts and offering virtual-only social activities, while urging organisers to clearly define and communicate conference goals to align with participants’ expectations.

People from TdLab

Ariane Wenger, Michael Stauffacher

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