The greenhouse gas emissions of psychological conferences and what we can do about it

The climate crisis threatens global health and demands urgent action, as highlighted in UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 13. The academic community – especially in health sciences such as psychology – must acknowledge and reduce its environmental impact, largely driven by travel. This study aims to estimate the CO₂-equivalent (CO₂eq) emissions from attendance at major international psychology conferences.Number of in-person/online attendees at major international psychological conferences was determined by web search and email. Conference inclusion criteria: International, psychology/behavioural medicine, 1000+ attendees, years 2023-2025. Total and per capita CO₂eq were estimated for in-person and online attendance based on emissions estimates from 22 in-person and 10 online conference emission publications.The included 21 conferences generated approx. 63,481 tonnes of CO₂eq. A senior scientist attending two such conferences in-person emits approx. 2.51 tCO₂eq annually, already exceeding the individual annual carbon budget compatible with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C target (2.3 tCO₂eq per person/year until 2030).These figures contrast the disproportionate climate impact of frequent academic travel against urgently needed emission reductions. By sharing striking emission estimates from select major conferences – excluding many smaller meetings – we aim to prompt discussion on more sustainable conference and travel choices by scientific organizations and scientists.