Friederike Otto, deputy director of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, has identified areas where she can reduce emissions but says researchers can't tackle the problem alone.
As she contributes new findings to the World Weather Attribution program, Otto says the urgency of immediate climate action becomes ever more apparent. Recently, the WWA concluded that last summer's fierce European heatwave and deadly fires were made much more likely by the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
All this has prompted her to think about her own role in emitting heat-trapping pollution.
Friederike Otto is well aware that running large supercomputers for complex climate modeling is energy intensive. Image: Privat
"Compared to the average person, my carbon footprint is absolutely awful but it is all through air travel," she told DW. "On the other hand, working at Oxford, my climate footprint in my daily work life is small. I do not own a car and never did, so my daily commute, school run and shopping is all on bike or foot."
Still, Otto is frustrated by some of the challenges she can't address alone, including her house. It is relatively new and built according to British emission standards, which are poor, she said, even though we know how to build carbon-neutral homes.
Like other scientists, she said the issue of traveling to conferences is vexing. Flying over long distances, multiple times each year, to attend meetings is part of the job for thousands in her field. Such exchanges are important in order to make scientific advances. But more could be done to reduce travel, including improving video conferencing technologies for larger gatherings, says Otto.
"We need a lot of them to understand the uncertainties. But there could be a greater effort to make the most of the simulations that have already been done, instead of making new ones all the time, without having enough people to analyse them," she said.
She suggests that various research organizations could encourage that by putting out requests for studies that use existing model simulations. Many large science institutions are already taking such steps. But Otto thinks research institutions could send an even more powerful signal through strategic sustainable investment of resources and capital.
"To really make a difference, I don't think that research is the most important source of carbon to tackle. But of course we need zero carbon emissions so it would be a good sign," she says.
8 green-tech innovations you need to know about
From plant-based plastic bottles to dresses made of milk — green pioneers around the world are coming up with clean technologies to protect our environment, reduce waste and limit global warming.
Image: Rod Crimshaw/Solarkiosk
Energy-generating soccer field
With every kick and pass, soccer players in Lagos, Nigeria, are powering the flood lights on their own pitch. Special tiles capture kinetic energy, which is transformed into off-grid electricity. UK-based company Pavegen, the mastermind behind the Lagos soccer field, has also installed power-generating walkways in London airports and public squares in Washington D.C.
Image: Pavegen
Dressed in milk
Milk is coming out of the fridge and into the wardrobe. In Germany alone, up to 1.9 million tons of milk is wasted each year. Anke Domaske and her company QMilk are turning that waste into 100-percent natural fibers that only require 2 liters of water per kilogram, Domaske says. For comparison, producing one cotton t-shirt uses up to 2,700 liters of water.
Image: Jannes Frubel Fotografie
Organic solar film
What if every building and car produced its own green energy? German company Heliatek has developed solar panels that are almost as light, thin and flexible as a sheet of paper. These "solar films" can be combined with other materials, for example glass or concrete, to create functional facades of houses or vehicles. The material can also be recycled.
Image: Tim Deussen/Heliatek
'Sea horses' generate power off Japan's coast
In Japan, concrete wave breakers line beaches to protect the shore from erosion. The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology wants to replace them with turbines that generate renewable power, at the same time as protecting the coast. If these small, five-blade "sea horse" turbines covered just 1% of Japan’s coast, they could generate as much power as 10 nuclear plants.
Image: OIST
Swapping petroleum for sugar
Hundreds of millions of plastic bottles are thrown away every day. Besides creating an enormous amount of waste, their production relies on chemicals derived from fossil fuels. Dutch chemist Gert-Jan Gruter has developed an environmentally friendly alternative: a sugar-based bioplastic that requires no petrochemicals, is completely recyclable and cuts associated CO2 emissions by up to 70 percent.
Image: Heinz Troll/EPO
End of the road for waste plastic
Speaking of plastic, a British company is turning plastic waste into an asphalt mix for roads. Plastic makes the roads stronger and longer-lasting. Governments save on maintenance, and millions of tons of waste plastic is given a second life. The plastic asphalt mix already covers several roads in the UK in Bahrain.
Image: MacRebur
Cargo sailing in the wind
French firm Zephyr & Borée has combined traditional sailing with wind energy technology for 21st century eco-friendly transport. "Nowadays we can consume products that are organic, recyclable … yet there [are] barely any companies that offer a green supply chain," say the pioneers, adding that their sailing vessels produce 70 percent less CO2 than fuel-powered ones.
Image: zephy & boree
Solar shops
Two out three people in sub-Saharan Africa don't have access to electricity, particularly in rural areas. A German start-up has developed modular shops powered by the sun. This example in Kenya provides internet access, water purification and fridges for medication. Locals can also scan and print documents and recharge their cellphones.
