The Year Everything Changed

2020 was unlike any other year. COVID-19 lockdowns eliminated most travel, closed offices, and fundamentally altered how we worked. This audit captures a unique – if involuntary – experiment in low-carbon living.

The Numbers

Total 2020 Carbon Footprint: 3.8 tonnes CO2e

Reduction from 2019: 69% (12.4 → 3.8 tonnes)

Breakdown

What Happened

Aviation Collapsed

Only two domestic flights in February, before lockdowns began. Everything else cancelled or moved online.

Impact: 6.8 tonnes CO2e eliminated

This single change accounted for 79% of my total reduction.

Ground Transport Minimal

• No commuting (working from home)
• Minimal car use (only essential local trips)
• No trains (no conferences or travel)

Impact: 1.0 tonne CO2e reduction

Home Energy Slight Increase

More time at home meant more heating and electricity use, partially offset by:

• Switching to 100% renewable energy tariff
• Better insulation from 2019 improvements

Impact: 0.2 tonne reduction (despite increased usage)

Consumption Down

• Fewer impulse purchases
• No conference/travel-related spending
• Extended use of existing electronics

The Uncomfortable Truth

This audit reveals something significant: achieving dramatic carbon reductions is possible, but it required:

• Eliminating international travel
• Ending daily commuting
• Minimising all non-essential activity

In other words, it required a global pandemic and complete disruption of normal life. This clearly isn’t a sustainable or desirable approach.

What’s Genuine vs. Forced

Changes I want to keep:

• Virtual-first approach to meetings
• Questioning necessity of travel
• Lower consumption patterns
• Home working benefits (where feasible)

Changes I don’t want permanent:

• Complete elimination of international collaboration
• No in-person conferences or meetings
• Social isolation
• Restricted personal travel

The Virtual Work Experiment

2020 proved that much “essential” travel wasn’t essential. Achievements this year:

• Supervised 6 PhD students remotely
• Published 4 papers
• Taught 3 courses online
• Attended 5 virtual conferences
• Collaborated with international partners

All with 94% fewer flight emissions.

Systemic Insights

This year highlighted:

1. Infrastructure exists for low-carbon work in academia
2. Social norms were the bigger barrier than technology
3. Institutional inertia kept us flying pre-pandemic
4. Hybrid models are clearly feasible

UK Context

2020 UK average fell to approximately 4.5 tonnes per capita (from 5.5). I’m now below national average for the first time.

But this isn’t cause for celebration – it’s an enforced reduction during crisis conditions.

Challenges Identified

What lockdown couldn’t solve:

• Home heating still fossil-fuel dependent
• Carbon-intensive grid electricity (despite green tariff)
• Embedded carbon in infrastructure
• Historical responsibility for past emissions

What we lost:

• Research collaboration benefits
• Professional networking
• Student experience
• Mental health and social connection

Looking Forward to 2021

The challenge: maintain low-carbon practices while returning to some normalcy.

Planned approach:

• Keep virtual-first principle
• Fly only when truly necessary (criteria defined)
• Maintain low consumption patterns
• Accept some increase is inevitable and acceptable

Target for 2021: 5-6 tonnes (accepting necessary increase from 2020 baseline)

Methodology Changes

Same conversion factors as 2019 for consistency, noting:

• Energy usage tracked via smart metre (more accurate)
• All flights and transport easily logged (there was so little)
• Renewable tariff means effectively zero direct home emissions, but retained in audit for consistency

Broader Reflection

2020 showed what’s technically possible for emissions reduction. But it also showed the price: isolation, restricted movement, and suspended normal life.

The question for 2021 and beyond: can we find a middle ground? Maintaining some reductions while rebuilding social and professional connections?

The pandemic forced change. Post-pandemic, the challenge is choosing which changes to keep and which normal activities to resume, but done differently.

Key insight: We don’t need to go back to pre-2020 travel levels. Virtual alternatives work better than expected. But complete elimination isn’t feasible or desirable either.

Finding that balance is the work ahead.