Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
Metadata
- Author: Joe Yates
- Full Title: Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
- Category: articles
- URL: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00355-7/fulltext
Highlights
- Financial barriers, social constraints, opportunity costs, and lack of accessibility hamper meaningful participation by traditionally under-represented groups, including early career researchers, women, researchers from low-income contexts, minority groups, and those with disabilities, among others.
- An in-person global research conference can entail travel emissions of 1·3–1·8 tonnes of CO ... which exceeds two-thirds of the total annual per capita emissions for India (1·9 tonnes) and a substantial fraction of emissions even for the USA (16·6 tonnes) or the UK (5·6 tonnes).
- A study of the 2019 annual conference of the American Geophysical Union described alternatives with lower emissions: enhancing virtual presence would reduce travel-related emissions by 39%; shifting to a fully virtual format could reduce them by 99%.
- The emphasis placed on face-to-face meetings to foster scientific collaboration might have constrained past efforts to make international conferences more sustainable and equitable.
- The average number of unique LMICs that were represented between 2016 and 2019 was 23, while the online conference in 2020 attracted participants from 46 unique LMICs.
- First, programming the online conference that aims to reach a global audience was restricted by time zones, more so than is the case with an in-person event.
- Equitable participation requires efforts to improve opportunities and inclusion for diverse researchers from all parts of the world.
- Planetary health requires reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
- Our results suggest that the online format offered strengths in reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing geographical reach and attendance of researchers from both high-income countries and LMICs, thus agreeing with recent similar evidence.
- The online format developed in short notice limited the ability of early career researchers to interact with senior researchers in an informal manner, which had been a strength of in-person ANH Academy Week conferences. However, virtual events can facilitate new types of participant interaction and lower accessibility barriers that might exist in the physical realm, for instance by democratising Q&A through chatboxes, using live captions and creating virtual spaces for poster discussions, and establishing social groups and platforms to connect researchers professionally for scientific exchange and collaborations.
- Virtual events can be programmed imaginatively using platforms that enable attendees to enjoy the entire conference, pause and rewind talks, and take in the science at their own pace.
- Looking forward, we anticipate that continued innovation will improve the effectiveness of online conferences for networking and social interaction, but in-person formats will retain their comparative advantage in this area.
- Air travel remains a major barrier to participation for early career researchers from LMICs with fewer resources and for those with family responsibilities or disabilities. This is further compounded by registration fees (although not for ANH Academy Weeks) and visas, accommodation and subsistence costs, opportunity costs, as well as the time lost in transit.
- This study demonstrates that an international conference of this size and complexity can be transitioned to an online format with short notice, delivering large emissions reductions and increased attendance and geographical reach. Our results suggest that these co-benefits were realised largely without compromising the perceived quality of the event.
- Using the example of the ANH Academy Week conference, we have shown that large air travel-related emissions savings can be gained by transitioning an international conference to an online format.
- Important challenges for virtual conferences remain in terms of emulating the intangible facets of in-person interactions, for which the pandemic has brought renewed appreciation.
- The challenge now is to sustain this momentum, continue to innovate, and pilot new conference formats in order to bridge the gaps between in-person and online experiences. In this respect, although they might come with their own new challenges, there is potential for hybrid conference models to achieve the best of both worlds, so that the mutually reinforcing needs of planetary health and scientific collaboration might be realised in an equitable and sustainable way.
Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
Metadata
- Author: Joe Yates
- Full Title: Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
- Category: articles
- URL: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00355-7/fulltext
Highlights
- Financial barriers, social constraints, opportunity costs, and lack of accessibility hamper meaningful participation by traditionally under-represented groups, including early career researchers, women, researchers from low-income contexts, minority groups, and those with disabilities, among others.
- An in-person global research conference can entail travel emissions of 1·3–1·8 tonnes of CO ... which exceeds two-thirds of the total annual per capita emissions for India (1·9 tonnes) and a substantial fraction of emissions even for the USA (16·6 tonnes) or the UK (5·6 tonnes).
- A study of the 2019 annual conference of the American Geophysical Union described alternatives with lower emissions: enhancing virtual presence would reduce travel-related emissions by 39%; shifting to a fully virtual format could reduce them by 99%.
- The emphasis placed on face-to-face meetings to foster scientific collaboration might have constrained past efforts to make international conferences more sustainable and equitable.
- The average number of unique LMICs that were represented between 2016 and 2019 was 23, while the online conference in 2020 attracted participants from 46 unique LMICs.
- First, programming the online conference that aims to reach a global audience was restricted by time zones, more so than is the case with an in-person event.
- Equitable participation requires efforts to improve opportunities and inclusion for diverse researchers from all parts of the world.
- Planetary health requires reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
- Our results suggest that the online format offered strengths in reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing geographical reach and attendance of researchers from both high-income countries and LMICs, thus agreeing with recent similar evidence.
- The online format developed in short notice limited the ability of early career researchers to interact with senior researchers in an informal manner, which had been a strength of in-person ANH Academy Week conferences. However, virtual events can facilitate new types of participant interaction and lower accessibility barriers that might exist in the physical realm, for instance by democratising Q&A through chatboxes, using live captions and creating virtual spaces for poster discussions, and establishing social groups and platforms to connect researchers professionally for scientific exchange and collaborations.
- Virtual events can be programmed imaginatively using platforms that enable attendees to enjoy the entire conference, pause and rewind talks, and take in the science at their own pace.
- Looking forward, we anticipate that continued innovation will improve the effectiveness of online conferences for networking and social interaction, but in-person formats will retain their comparative advantage in this area.
- Air travel remains a major barrier to participation for early career researchers from LMICs with fewer resources and for those with family responsibilities or disabilities. This is further compounded by registration fees (although not for ANH Academy Weeks) and visas, accommodation and subsistence costs, opportunity costs, as well as the time lost in transit.
- This study demonstrates that an international conference of this size and complexity can be transitioned to an online format with short notice, delivering large emissions reductions and increased attendance and geographical reach. Our results suggest that these co-benefits were realised largely without compromising the perceived quality of the event.
- Using the example of the ANH Academy Week conference, we have shown that large air travel-related emissions savings can be gained by transitioning an international conference to an online format.
- Important challenges for virtual conferences remain in terms of emulating the intangible facets of in-person interactions, for which the pandemic has brought renewed appreciation.
- The challenge now is to sustain this momentum, continue to innovate, and pilot new conference formats in order to bridge the gaps between in-person and online experiences. In this respect, although they might come with their own new challenges, there is potential for hybrid conference models to achieve the best of both worlds, so that the mutually reinforcing needs of planetary health and scientific collaboration might be realised in an equitable and sustainable way.
Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
Metadata
- Author: Joe Yates
- Full Title: Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
- Category: articles
- URL: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00355-7/fulltext
Highlights
- Financial barriers, social constraints, opportunity costs, and lack of accessibility hamper meaningful participation by traditionally under-represented groups, including early career researchers, women, researchers from low-income contexts, minority groups, and those with disabilities, among others.
- An in-person global research conference can entail travel emissions of 1·3–1·8 tonnes of CO ... which exceeds two-thirds of the total annual per capita emissions for India (1·9 tonnes) and a substantial fraction of emissions even for the USA (16·6 tonnes) or the UK (5·6 tonnes).
- A study of the 2019 annual conference of the American Geophysical Union described alternatives with lower emissions: enhancing virtual presence would reduce travel-related emissions by 39%; shifting to a fully virtual format could reduce them by 99%.
- The emphasis placed on face-to-face meetings to foster scientific collaboration might have constrained past efforts to make international conferences more sustainable and equitable.
- The average number of unique LMICs that were represented between 2016 and 2019 was 23, while the online conference in 2020 attracted participants from 46 unique LMICs.
- First, programming the online conference that aims to reach a global audience was restricted by time zones, more so than is the case with an in-person event.
- Equitable participation requires efforts to improve opportunities and inclusion for diverse researchers from all parts of the world.
- Planetary health requires reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
- Our results suggest that the online format offered strengths in reducing aviation greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing geographical reach and attendance of researchers from both high-income countries and LMICs, thus agreeing with recent similar evidence.
- The online format developed in short notice limited the ability of early career researchers to interact with senior researchers in an informal manner, which had been a strength of in-person ANH Academy Week conferences. However, virtual events can facilitate new types of participant interaction and lower accessibility barriers that might exist in the physical realm, for instance by democratising Q&A through chatboxes, using live captions and creating virtual spaces for poster discussions, and establishing social groups and platforms to connect researchers professionally for scientific exchange and collaborations.
- Virtual events can be programmed imaginatively using platforms that enable attendees to enjoy the entire conference, pause and rewind talks, and take in the science at their own pace.
- Looking forward, we anticipate that continued innovation will improve the effectiveness of online conferences for networking and social interaction, but in-person formats will retain their comparative advantage in this area.
- Air travel remains a major barrier to participation for early career researchers from LMICs with fewer resources and for those with family responsibilities or disabilities. This is further compounded by registration fees (although not for ANH Academy Weeks) and visas, accommodation and subsistence costs, opportunity costs, as well as the time lost in transit.
- This study demonstrates that an international conference of this size and complexity can be transitioned to an online format with short notice, delivering large emissions reductions and increased attendance and geographical reach. Our results suggest that these co-benefits were realised largely without compromising the perceived quality of the event.
- Using the example of the ANH Academy Week conference, we have shown that large air travel-related emissions savings can be gained by transitioning an international conference to an online format.
- Important challenges for virtual conferences remain in terms of emulating the intangible facets of in-person interactions, for which the pandemic has brought renewed appreciation.
- The challenge now is to sustain this momentum, continue to innovate, and pilot new conference formats in order to bridge the gaps between in-person and online experiences. In this respect, although they might come with their own new challenges, there is potential for hybrid conference models to achieve the best of both worlds, so that the mutually reinforcing needs of planetary health and scientific collaboration might be realised in an equitable and sustainable way.
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Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
Metadata
Highlights
Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
Metadata
Highlights
Can virtual events achieve co-benefits for climate, participation, and satisfaction? Comparative evidence from five international Agriculture, Nutrition and Health Academy Week conferences
Metadata
Highlights