Exploring the Problem Space of CO 2 Emission Reductions from Academic Flying

Aksel Biørn-Hansen, Daniel Pargman, Elina Eriksson, Mario Romero, Jarmo Laaksolahti and Markus Robért
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Aksel Biørn-Hansen: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Daniel Pargman: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Elina Eriksson: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Mario Romero: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Jarmo Laaksolahti: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 11428 Stockholm, Sweden
Markus Robért: School of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 11328 Stockholm, Sweden

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-20

Abstract: CO 2 emissions from aviation have been predicted to increase over the coming decades. Within the academic world, flying is often perceived to be a necessary prerequisite to being a successful researcher. Many Swedish universities have ambitious climate goals, but are simultaneously among the top emitters in the public sector. Reaching stated climate goals could feasibly be met through a combination of measures, including decreased flying. One way to address the challenge is to support behavioural interventions with the help of interactive visualizations of CO 2 emissions from flying. Those few examples that exist in the research literature are generally directed towards management and are less applicable to universities, given the large autonomy researchers enjoy and their discretionary control of research project funds. This paper uses a design-oriented research approach to present an analysis of the problem space at the intersection of interactive visualizations using air travel data to reduce CO 2 emissions from business air travel at our own university, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Through a number of design experiments, evaluations and investigations, we have unearthed needs, challenges and opportunities for the creation of visualization tools to support more sustainable travel practices at universities and in other knowledge-intensive organisations.

Keywords: academic flying; sustainability; visualization; carbon emissions; behaviour change; human–computer interaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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