Environmental Impact Of Scientific Research

The scale of the destruction is simply unimaginable. The Annelies Ilena - which I've discussed before - is a giant factory ship that can capture 400,000 kilograms of fish in a single day. It's a giant death factory. But that's not all, supertrawlers have a much bigger impact. 1. Overfishing and Ecosystem Collapse Super trawlers and bottom trawlers contribute to the overexploitation of fish stocks, depleting populations faster than they can recover. The Bay of Bengal study found that increasing trawler activity leads to habitat destruction and threatens the entire marine food pyramid, including top predators. 2. Bycatch and Marine Biodiversity Loss Trawling is highly non-selective, capturing and killing many non-target species (e.g., sea turtles, dolphins, sharks). A review on trawling and bycatch highlighted that endangered species often fall victim to these nets, and that bycatch reduction devices are not widely used. 3. Habitat Destruction and Seafloor Damage Bottom trawling scrapes the ocean floor, causing irreversible damage to benthic ecosystems. Studies on seabed trawling found that it flattens marine habitats, reducing biodiversity by eliminating slow-growing species like corals and shellfish. Trawling in the Mediterranean (Gioia Canyon) led to the destruction of vulnerable marine ecosystems like deep-sea coral forests. 4. Changes in Seafloor Chemistry and Ocean Health Trawling disturbs the seabed’s natural biogeochemistry, affecting nutrient cycles and oxygen levels. A study in the North Sea found that repeated trawling leads to long-term disruptions in nutrient cycling, causing habitat degradation. 5. Impact on Seabirds and Marine Mammals Seabirds alter their natural foraging behaviours due to fishery discards from trawlers, increasing their dependence on human activities. A study in the Mediterranean found that seabirds’ movement patterns were significantly altered when trawlers were active, affecting their long-term survival. 6. The Scale of Trawling’s Impact Studies estimate that bottom trawlers disturb up to 15 million square kilometres of seabed annually - an area 150 times greater than global deforestation. 7. What Can We Do? - More protected marine areas, which when enforced (many of them aren't!), can help ecosystems recover. - Introduce stricter fishing quotas. - Change behaviours so people eat a LOT less fish. Image via Leon Simons SOURCES: - Trawling's a Drag for Marine Life (Malakoff, 2002). - Environmental Impact of Trawling in the Bay of Bengal (Das, 2018). - Trawling and By-catch: Implications on Marine Ecosystems (Kumar & Deepthi, 2006). - Fishery Discards and Seabird Movement Patterns (Bartumeus et al., 2010). - Impact of Trawl Fisheries on Marine Benthic Biogeochemistry (Percival, 2004). - Effects of Trawling on Coral and Sea Pens (Pierdomenico et al., 2018). - Assessing and Mitigating Bottom Trawling Impacts (Rijnsdorp et al., 2017).

Digital Circular Economy 🌎 In the shift towards sustainable business practices, digital technologies offer transformative potentials for the circular economy. These technologies facilitate significant improvements across various circular business models, from design and manufacturing to life extension and resource recovery. As depicted in the recent visual framework, each stage of the circular process can be optimized through the strategic deployment of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data analytics. For instance, IoT can enhance product lifecycle tracking, enabling more efficient reverse logistics and better product lifecycle management. Blockchain technology introduces unparalleled transparency and security in supply chains, making it easier to track the origin and handling of materials, which is crucial for recycling and remanufacturing processes. Meanwhile, AI and big data analytics can predict maintenance needs and optimize resource use, significantly extending the life of products and components. However, while technology provides opportunities for advancing circular business models, it's crucial to recognize and address potential adverse effects. The increased use of digital tools can lead to higher energy demands and contribute to electronic waste. These negative impacts necessitate a balanced approach where the benefits of digital applications are leveraged to enhance sustainability while mitigating undesirable outcomes. This balance is achieved by designing systems and frameworks that not only incorporate digital tools into circular business practices but also ensure that these tools are used in ways that prioritize environmental integrity and resource efficiency. For example, employing cloud computing solutions can decrease the need for physical infrastructure, reducing material use and energy consumption. As industries continue to integrate these technologies, it is imperative to continually assess their impacts, both positive and negative. By understanding and addressing these dynamics, businesses can more effectively harness the potential of digital technologies to drive the development of a more sustainable and economically viable circular economy. This approach ensures that technological advancements contribute effectively to environmental goals and the resilience of business operations. Source: OECD #circulareconomy #sustainability #climateaction #esg #circular #circularity

🌿 As software practitioners, how can we adopt green software practices? Here are the key steps: 1. Awareness: Start by becoming aware of the environmental impact of your software. Understand that your application's overall design and efficiency contribute to its energy consumption. 2. Understanding: Gain a deeper understanding of your code's impact using tools and frameworks. The Software Carbon Intensity (SCI) specification and the Impact Framework from our Green Software Foundation are open-source and provide valuable insights into your software's carbon footprint. Leverage these resources to measure and understand the energy consumption of your applications. 3. Opportunity to Apply: Once you are aware and understand your impact, look for opportunities to apply green software practices. There are two main approaches: -- Optimizing Existing Code/Infrastructure/Architecture: Start with small, impactful changes. For example, improve the efficiency of your current codebase and infrastructure. -- Strategic Replacement: When possible, replace parts of your code with more efficient alternatives. For example, A sidecar implementation in Kubernetes transitioned a portion of code from JavaScript to Rust, achieving a 75% reduction in CPU usage and a 95% reduction in memory usage. This shows how strategic replacements can lead to substantial energy savings. (Link to the use case in comments section) 4. Spread the Word: You have the power to make a difference. Share your knowledge and experiences with your peers. Encourage others to adopt green software practices and raise awareness about the importance of sustainability in software development. By taking these steps, we, as a community of software practitioners, can make a significant impact on reducing the environmental footprint of our software. Let’s inspire each other to adopt green software practices. 🌱💡 #Sustainability #GreenSoftware #EnergyEfficiency #TechInnovation #SCI #OpenSource

I’m excited to share our latest publication on how small, everyday actions can scale to meaningful societal impact. Our paper examines Saveful, a behaviourally informed app designed to help households reduce food waste. Across more than 10,000 users and 32,000+ data points collected over 12 months, we found: 🥝 Households waste around 1.47 kg of food per week 🙋♀️ App users collectively saved 5.8 tonnes of food and over $32,000 ⚖️ If scaled, this could equate to $75 million in annual savings across Australia What stands out most is this: 👉 Behaviour change doesn’t need to be complex or coercive 👉 When we design around real lives, we can enable people to act Cooking more often, using what’s already in the fridge, and receiving simple prompts and feedback can reduce waste, save money, and support sustainability goals—all at once. This Griffith Business School Research work reinforces the role of digital interventions and behavioural science in tackling big societal challenges like food waste and climate action. A big thank you to my wonderful co-authors Julia Carins, Rhetta Chappell and Nicholas Pittman and our partners Kim McDonnell and Mike Chuter who made this possible. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gNkt3V4z #FoodWaste #BehaviourChange #SocialMarketing #Sustainability #DigitalHealth #Impact

Is AI's Growth Sustainable? How to Make Generative Applications Greener. The rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and others has been remarkable, but their environmental impact is often overlooked. The data center industry, housing these systems, accounts for up to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with energy consumption doubling every two years. Hyperscale cloud providers like Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure play a significant role in powering these models, leading to major carbon footprints. Understanding the carbon footprint lifecycle of AI models is crucial. Large generative models consume extensive energy during training, and fine-tuning can be a more energy-efficient option. Inference sessions, though less energy-intensive, involve many more sessions, contributing to ongoing energy consumption. Efforts to reduce energy usage include employing less computationally expensive approaches like TinyML and using large models only when significantly valuable. To make AI greener, companies can use existing models from providers instead of creating new ones. Fine-tuning existing models on specific content domains consumes less energy and provides more value. Utilizing energy sources from carbon-friendly regions and monitoring carbon emissions can significantly reduce AI's environmental impact. Reusing models and resources, incorporating AI activity into carbon monitoring, and encouraging green AI practices are crucial steps in promoting sustainability. 1. Prioritize Fine-Tuning: Instead of training new generative models from scratch, focus on fine-tuning existing models for specific content domains. Fine-tuning consumes less energy and provides more value to businesses. 2. Explore Energy-Conserving Methods: Adopt energy-conserving computational approaches like TinyML for processing data. TinyML allows running ML models on low-powered edge devices, significantly reducing energy consumption. 3. Re-use and Open Source Models: Opt for reusing open-source models instead of creating new ones. Recycling tech can lower the carbon impact of AI practices and reduce the need for energy-intensive model development. 4. Monitor Carbon Emissions: Include AI activity in carbon monitoring practices to understand the carbon footprint of AI-related operations. Share footprint numbers to make informed decisions about AI partnerships. 5. Choose Green Energy Sources: Select cloud providers and data centers that prioritize environmentally friendly power resources. Running AI models in regions with carbon-free energy sources can significantly reduce operational emissions. Have you already considered the impact of using compute-heavy applications on our planet? Are you tracking the impact of compute in your sustainability report? #genai #aivalue #sustainableai #sustainability

A smarter Way Forward for Sustainability in Industrial Equipment! Business is changing—companies must now balance financial success with sustainability. Those that embrace this shift will capture new markets, boost valuations, and enhance employee retention. ➡️ Reduce Waste – With Virtual Twins, companies can simulate and test digitally, eliminating unnecessary prototypes and cutting material, energy, and time waste. ➡️ Optimize Operations – Once built, Virtual Twins monitor equipment in real time, optimizing energy use and predicting maintenance needs—extending efficiency and lifespan. ➡️ Don’t Replace – Instead of scrapping machines after 10, 20, or 30 years, retrofitting can renew their value with minimal CO2 impact, reducing obsolescence, improving energy efficiency, and enabling remote repairs. The Industrial Equipment industry has a major role in building a circular economy —where we repair, reuse, and extend machine life instead of constantly replacing. How is your company tackling sustainability? Let’s discuss! #Sustainability #VirtualTwin #3DEXPERIENCE #CircularEconomy #IndustrialEquipment

One of the most transformative digital tools applied in #cement grinding is the #digitaltwin — a real-time virtual replica of physical equipment and processes. By integrating #sensordata and process models, digital twins enable engineers to simulate process variations and run “what-if” scenarios without disrupting actual production. These simulations support decisions on variables such as #grindingmedia charge, mill speed, and classifier settings, allowing optimisation of energy use and product fineness. Digital twins have been used to optimize #kilns and grinding circuits in plants worldwide, reducing unplanned downtime and allowing predictive maintenance to extend the life of expensive grinding assets. While #digital technologies improve control and prediction, materials science innovations in grinding media and grinding aids have become equally crucial for achieving performance gains. Traditionally composed of high-chrome cast iron or forged steel, grinding media account for nearly a quarter of global grinding media consumption by application, with efficiency improvements translating directly to lower energy intensity. Recent advancements include #ceramic and #hybridmedia that combine hardness and toughness to reduce wear and energy losses. For example, manufacturers such as Sanxin New Materials in China and Tosoh Corporation in Japan have developed sub-nano and zirconia media with exceptional wear resistance. Complementing #grindingmedia are grinding aids — chemical additives that improve mill throughput and reduce energy consumption by altering the surface properties of particles, trapping air, and preventing re-agglomeration. Technology leaders like SIKA AG and GCP Applied Technologies have invested in tailored grinding aids compatible with AI-driven dosing platforms that automatically adjust additive concentrations based on real-time mill conditions. Trials in South America reported throughput improvements nearing 19% when integrating such digital assistive dosing with process control systems. The integration of grinding media data and digital dosing of grinding aids moves the mill closer to a self-optimizing system, where AI not only predicts media wear or energy losses but prescribes optimal interventions through automated dosing and operational adjustments. Heidelberg Materials has deployed digital twin technologies across global plants, achieving up to 15% increases in production efficiency and 20% reductions in energy consumption by leveraging real-time analytics and predictive algorithms. Holcim’s Siggenthal plant in Switzerland piloted AI controllers that autonomously adjusted kiln operations, boosting throughput while reducing specific energy consumption and emissions. Cemex, through its AI and #predictivemaintenance initiatives, improved kiln availability and reduced maintenance costs by predicting failures before they occurred. Read my full article in the February’26 issue of Indian Cement Review.

A recent study by scientists at Utah State University found that seabed trawling releases about 340 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. That is nearly 1 per cent of global CO2 emissions, a major contribution that has been overlooked until now. Their studies suggest that about 55% of the carbon released by trawling will enter the atmosphere within nine years. Seabed trawling is a destructive fishing practice that involves dragging weighted nets across the seafloor to catch bottom-dwelling fish, crustaceans, and shellfish. The practice damages seafloor environments such as coral reefs and stirs up sediments, providing the oxygen that microbes need to break down organic matter into carbon dioxide. Those sediments might otherwise continue to build up for many millennia, preserved by low-oxygen conditions, so the carbon is locked away. To put this into perspective, global CO2 emissions from human activities hit 40.9 gigatonnes in 2023. The emissions from trawling alone account for approximately 0.8% of this total, which is almost a third of the emissions from aviation and shipping combined. Conservationists argue that these findings underscore the need for action to reduce the environmental impact of trawling. Suggestions include bans on destructive fishing practices and transitioning towards more sustainable methods. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and strategies will likely differ based on local ecosystems and economies. We must take action to reduce the impact of seabed trawling on our planet. We can do this by banning the practice in sensitive areas, by developing more sustainable fishing methods, and by supporting research into the environmental impacts of seabed trawling. #SeabedTrawling, #CO2Emissions, #SustainableFishing, #MarineConservation, #ClimateChange, #OceanProtection, #CarbonSequestration, #EcosystemDamage, #EnvironmentalImpact, #climateaction Green Climate Fund https://lnkd.in/gKW-XEiX

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗔.𝗜. 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 | I’ve explored a wide range of AI tools recently tailored to sustainability, and I’ve compiled a list of it featuring some of the most promising ones across 5 key domains: 📌 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 & 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 -Climate TRACE – Tracks greenhouse gas emissions globally using satellite data and AI 🔗 https://climatetrace.org -IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite – Uses AI for climate risk analytics, weather prediction, and carbon tracking 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g7RYaMm3 -Carbon Re – Uses machine learning to optimize processes and reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors (like cement and steel) 🔗 https://carbonre.com 📌 𝗘𝗦𝗚 & 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 -Datamaran – AI-powered platform for ESG risk management and materiality assessment 🔗 https://www.datamaran.com -Persefoni – Carbon accounting and management platform using AI for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions tracking 🔗 https://www.persefoni.com -Enablon by Wolters Kluwer – EHS, risk, and sustainability software integrating AI for analytics and compliance 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gYF69tef -Planetly (by OneTrust) – AI-based carbon accounting and decarbonization tool, especially for mid-sized firms 🔗 https://www.onetrust.com/ 📌 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 -Google Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE) – AI and geospatial data to help cities track emissions and solar potential 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gCnhxSDh -Aurora Solar – AI for solar energy system design, yield estimation, and planning 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gqRDBjFr 📌 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 & 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 -Cervest – Climate intelligence for physical asset risk prediction and nature-based disclosures 🔗 https://www.cervest.earth -xFarm Technologies – AI-based digital agriculture platform supporting farmers with sustainability insights 🔗 https://xfarm.ag -Restor – AI-supported mapping tool for nature restoration projects with global transparency and tracking 🔗 https://www.restor.eco 📌 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 & 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 -Greyparrot – AI-powered waste analytics using computer vision to monitor recycling facilities 🔗 https://www.greyparrot.ai -Circularise – AI-driven supply chain traceability platform to support circularity and product transparency 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gyHhCewG From real-time carbon accounting to precision agriculture and energy grid optimization, these tools are transforming how companies, cities, and communities measure, manage, and reduce their environmental impact. ♻️ 🌎 If you’re already using any of them—or building something new in this space—let’s connect. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. #Sustainability #AI #ClimateAction #ESG #NetZero #GreenTech #PlanetaryHealth #CircularEconomy #SmartCities #Decarbonization #DigitalSustainability

𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗞𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗨𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗧 - 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘. Antarctic krill is the foundation of the entire Southern Ocean food web ➕ Krill removes 23m tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere annually ➖ Krill populations have declined 70–80% in parts of the Southern Ocean since the '70s ➖ The current quota set by Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is 620,000 tons (said to be 1% total krill biomass). Yet krill fishing is concentrated in areas so the likelihood of ecological collapse in those areas is far more likely ➖ Ocean warming is affecting krill populations and location. Moving ice floes make it harder for creatures to find where to feed Industrial supertrawlers from Norway, China, Chile & Ukraine are fishing in the most sensitive area of whale, penguin & seal feeding grounds ➖ Norway has been the biggest krill fisher for years; they want more ➖ Multiple humpback whales fatally entangled in krill nets in 2024–25. One death triggered a criminal investigation ➖ In 2025 the catch limit was hit 3 months early for the FIRST TIME ➖ Adélie penguins at South Orkney Islands: down 42% ➖ Chinstrap: down 68% Sea Shepherd Global spent 6 weeks documenting the krill fishing. This week, Captain Paul Watson Foundation vessel physically disrupted an Aker QRILL Company trawler as it vacuumed krill near penguins, seals and a whale visible in the water ➖ Krill is primarily used to turn farmed salmon artificially pink. It's aesthetics not food security. ➕ Algae based health supplement equivalents are available without the killer tag. The greenwash: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified this fishery "sustainable" and proposed giving it an EVEN HIGHER score than 2020, despite an unmet condition from its previous certification. (Note MSC earns 88% of its revenue from royalties on certified products. It is not an independent watchdog. It is a brand-licensing business.) WWF (one of MSC's own founding partners) has formally objected and called for an immediate moratorium. Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition filed a concurrent objection. The MSC assessment is officially paused pending independent legal review. The label is in dispute. ACTION: ➕Check your supplements (and pet food) for krill ingredients and switch TODAY ➕Ask Boots UK & health retailers to sign the Antarctic Krill Pledge: https://lnkd.in/eUsAbgc9 ➕Policymakers: the Antarctic Peninsula Marine Protected Area has been blocked for 8 years. CCAMLR-45 is the moment to end that. The blue tick is broken. The question is what we do about it. #Antarctica #Krill #Greenwashing #MSC #SouthernOcean #CCAMLR #OceanProtection #ClimateAction