Summary

Last updated on 2026-05-14 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 20 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • What are the key concepts and strategies covered in this course for reducing carbon emissions in digital research?
  • How can the measurement and estimation methodologies learned in this course be applied to your own research?
  • What are the most impactful changes you can make to reduce emissions in your specific research context?

Objectives

  • Summarize the main sources of carbon emissions in digital research and evidence-based strategies to reduce them.
  • Analyze your own research workflows to identify emission sources and prioritize reduction opportunities based on effort and impact.
  • Develop a practical plan to measure, estimate, and reduce carbon emissions in your own research activities.
  • Evaluate potential emission reduction measures for your work in terms of feasibility, effort required, and likely impact.

Summary

These materials have introduced the relationship between digital research activities and sustainability. Digital infrastructure is increasingly becoming a more prominent component of global emissions with research as a significant contributor.

We have looked at ways to measure and understand the energy usage and emissions associated with consuming computational resources and examined impactful strategies to reduce emissions. Many of the emissions reduction measures align closely with well established best practices providing additional motivation for their adoption.

The case studies have provided an opportunity to apply this knowledge in the context of more realistic scenarios where imperfect information and practical constraints come into play.

Depending on time this final exercise can be run within the session, in groups or individually and attendees invited to feedback. If short on time it can be given as a takeaway.

The exercise is deliberately open-ended to let attendees approach it however they see fit.

Discussion

Sustainability in your Research

Making use of the materials in this course, consider the impact of your own research work. Here are some questions to help you get started.

  • What methodoligies might you use to measure or estimate emissions?
  • What additional data might you need to gather?
  • Which aspects of your work generate the most emissions?
  • What changes could you make to reduce emissions?
  • Can you categorise potential changes both in terms of effort and impact?