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A28 SCIENCE
Monday 9 deceMber 2019
Climate scientists try to cut their own carbon footprints

By SETH BORENSTEIN ject climate science for his
AP Science Writer personal energy use, said
For years, Kim Cobb was he has installed 1,000 solar
the Indiana Jones of cli- panels at his farm, eats a
mate science. The Geor- vegan diet and drives an
gia Tech professor flew electric vehicle.
to the caves of Borneo to “As important as it to
study ancient and current change lightbulbs,” he
climate conditions. She said in an email, “it is far
jetted to a remote South more important to change
Pacific island to see the ef- the policies and laws in the
fects of warming on coral. nation and places where
Add to that flights to Paris, we live.”
Rome, Vancouver and Teen activist Greta Thun-
elsewhere. All told, in the berg drew attention when
last three years, she’s flown she took a zero-carbon
29 times to study, meet or sailboat across the Atlantic
talk about global warming. instead of flying.
Then Cobb thought about “I’m not telling anyone else
how much her personal what to do or what not to
actions were contributing do,” Thunberg told The As-
to the climate crisis, so she sociated Press before her
created a spreadsheet. return boat trip. “I want to
She found that those flights In this Nov. 27, 2019, photo, Georgia Tech professor Kim Cobb poses for a photo at her home in put focus on the fact that
added more than 73,000 Atlanta. you basically can’t live sus-
pounds of heat-trapping Associated Press tainable today. It’s practi-
carbon to the air. cally impossible.”
Now she is about to ground aviation is only 3% of global wings.” make us feel better about Cobb is trying. In 2017, she
herself, and she is not carbon emissions. But Cobb and Hayhoe are ourselves AND decrease started biking to work in-
alone. Some climate scien- Jonathan Foley, executive judged by their audiences our environmental foot- stead of driving. She’s in-
tists and activists are limit- director of the climate so- on how much energy they print. Why wouldn’t we do stalled solar panels, dries
ing their flying, their con- lutions think-tank Project use themselves, Attari said. those things?” clothes on a line, composts
sumption of meat and their Drawdown, limits his airline Attari’s research shows Mann said he gets his elec- and gave up meat. All
overall carbon footprints to trips but will not stop flying that audiences are turned tricity from renewables, these made her feel bet-
avoid adding to the global because, he says, he must off by scientists who use drives a hybrid vehicle, ter, physically and men-
warming they study. Cobb meet with donors to keep lots of energy at home. Lis- doesn’t eat meat and has tally, and gave her more
will fly just once next year, his organization alive. He teners are more likely to re- one child. hope that people can do
to attend a massive inter- calls flight shaming “the cli- spond to experts who use When Hayhoe flies, she enough to curb the worst
national science meeting mate movement eating its less electricity. makes sure to bundle in of climate change.
in Chile. own.” “It’s like having an over- several lectures and visits But when she did the math,
“People want to be part of Over the next couple of weight doctor giving you into one flight, including 30 she found “all of this stuff is
the solution,” she said. “Es- weeks, climate scientists dieting advice,” Attari said. talks in Alaska in one five- very small compared to fly-
pecially when they spent and environmental ad- She found that scientists day trip. She said more ing.”
their whole lives with their vocates will fly across the who fly to give talks bother people come out to see a Cobb began turning down
noses stuck up against” globe. Some will be jetting people less. lecture than if it were giv- flights and offering to talk
data showing the problem. to Madrid for United Na- In science, flying is “deeply en remotely, and she also remotely. This year she
The issue divides climate tions climate negotiations. embedded in how we do learns from talking to the passed on 11 flights, in-
scientists and activists and Others, including Cobb, academic work,” said Ste- people at lectures. cluding Paris, Beijing and
plays out on social me- will fly to San Francisco for ven Allen, a management “They need a catalyst to Sydney.
dia. Texas Tech’s Katha- a major earth sciences researcher at the University get to the next step and “There hasn’t been a sin-
rine Hayhoe, an atmo- conference, her last for a of Sheffield, who recently me coming could be that gle step I have taken that
spheric scientist who flies while. organized a symposium catalyst,” Hayhoe said. has not brought me a
once a month, often to “I feel real torn about aimed at reducing flying Marshall Shepherd of the deeper appreciation for
talk to climate doubters in that,” said Indiana Univer- in academia. He said the University of Georgia will re- what we’re up against and
the evangelical Christian sity’s Shahzeen Attari, who conference went well, with ceive a climate communi- what’s possible,” Cobb
movement, was blasted studies human behavior 60 people participating re- cations award at the Amer- said. “This gave me a pro-
on Twitter because she and climate change. She motely from 12 countries. ican Geophysical Union found appreciation for
keeps flying. calls Cobb an important Pennsylvania State Univer- conference Wednesday how individual action con-
Hayhoe and other still- climate communicator. sity’s Michael Mann, who in San Francisco. But he nects to collective action.”
flying scientists note that “I don’t want to clip her flies but less than he used won’t pick it up in person, But there’s a cost.
to, said moderation is key. saving 1.2 tons of carbon Cobb was invited to be the
“I don’t tell people they by not flying. He said he plenary speaker wrapping
need to become childless, doesn’t judge those who up a major ocean scienc-
off-the-grid hermits. And fly but wrote about his de- es conference next year in
I’m not one myself,” Mann cision to stay grounded in San Diego. It’s a plum role.
said in an email. “I do tell hopes that people “think Cobb asked organizers if
people that individual ac- about choices and all of she could do it remotely.
tion is PART of the solution, the nuances involved in They said no. She promised
and that there are many these decisions.” to do many roles for the
things we can do in our Former Vice President Al conference from Atlanta.
everyday lives that save us Gore, who has long been Conference organizers
money, make us healthier, criticized by those who re- withdrew the offer.q