Abstract

From genetic studies and astrophysics simulations to AI, scientific computing has enabled amazing discoveries and there is no doubt it will continue to do so. At the same time, the resource usage (energy, water) and environmental impacts of digital research infrastructures become hard to ignore in light of the urgency of the climate crisis. So what can we all do about it? Tackling this issue and making it easier for scientists to engage with sustainable computing is what motivated the Green Algorithms project. We will break down how computing activities impact the environment, discuss how to estimate the impact of our work, and what to do about it. Through the prism of the GREENER principles for environmentally sustainable science, we will discuss what are the challenges the research community needs to overcome to affect real change in this space. It will also be a chance to highlight how the Green DiSC certification framework can support scientists and institutions in making their research more sustainable.