Reducing the carbon footprint of a research lab: how to move from individual initiatives to collective actions?

This communication aims at exposing the steps taken by a research lab – in this case INRAE RiverLy – to reduce its carbon footprint. INRAE RiverLy is an interdisciplinary research unit for the functioning of hydrosystems. The environmental transition process originates in 2020 with the creation of the RiverLy Downstream group launched to address the downstream impacts of research practices (see Vidal et al., 2023).

The first step taken by the RiverLy Downstream group relates to monitoring the laboratory's carbon footprint and identifying the main emission sources. Yearly carbon accountings carried out since 2019 using the GES1.5 tool (https://apps.labos1point5.org/ges-1point5) show that purchases (equipment, consumables, etc.) account for the majority (>50%) of the lab footprint. They also highlight the impact of changes in individual practices related to business travel, with -63% of travel-related emissions in 2022 compared to 2019.

A second step focused on raising awareness through a Climate Day and testing the willingness to change within our research unit through an opinion poll. Results led to writing down a lab charter which was unanimously adopted by the lab council in October 2023. This charter sets a collective 10%/year cut-down trajectory with respect to the 2022 carbon accounting, while affirming the determination to preserve the positive impact of our research on society.

A third step now being undertaken by the RiverLy Downstream team is to come up with concrete collective actions to effectively reduce the lab footprint. Participatory workshops are being organised in January and February 2024 to specify agreed actions for the various research activities: long-distance travelling, purchasing scientific and IT equipment, setting up a research project, doing lab and field experiments, performing biological and chemical analyses, performing scientific computations, and organising seminars and conferences. Consolidated and agreed propositions will then be submitted to the lab council for formal acceptation and implementation.

The whole process benefits from rich interactions with the INRAE national to regional strategy for reducing its environmental footprint (https://www.inrae.fr/en/corporate-social-responsibility-inrae), and with the French national initiative Labos1point5 which set up a national network of labs in transition (https://apps.labos1point5.org/transition-1point5).

Vidal, J.-P., Berni, C., Coquery, M., Devers, A., Gauthier, L., Lauvernet, C., Masson, M., Mimeau, L., and Turlan, M. and the RiverLy Downstream team: How to collectively engage in reducing the carbon footprint of a research lab?, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 24–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3462, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3462, 2023.