PSILOGO

Laboratory for Particle Physics (LTP)


LTP Colloquium

Know your Footprint - in High Energy Physics and related Fields

Thursday, October 24, 2024, 16:00
WHGA Auditorium

Valerie Lang, Freiburg (Breisgau) University

Abstract:
The continuous progression of the climate crisis necessitates the understanding of the environmental impact of professional activivities, especially in sectors that historically have had significant resource utilisation, such as High Energy Physics (HEP) and related fields. The first step to mitigation of emissions is to: Know your footprint. Identifying the dominant factors of CO2 emissions generated by HEP-related research will allow to define targeted measures for their reduction.

For researchers in HEP and related fields, emissions from four distrinct categories are investigated: Experiments, Institutes, Computing, and Travel. The Know-your-footprint (Kyf) calculator allows researchers to estimate their own professional carbon footprint, in comparison to the private footprint.

The talk will present the basis of the Kyf calculator and discuss some of the available options, together with a benchmark scenario of a doctoral researcher in HEP. The aim of the Kyf calculator is to heighten awareness, foster sustainability, and inspire the community to adopt more environmentally-responsible research methodologies. Personal tests of the Kyf calculator are highly encouraged.