German academies urge fewer work flights

Universities asked to do their bit by organising sustainable travel and more digital events

Universities and research institutions should encourage their scientists to travel sustainably, especially by organising fewer events that warrant flying, academies have urged.

A position paper published on 29 August by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Junge Akademie, which represents early career scientists, urged employers to create better infrastructure for digital formats and offer staff financial incentives to forego flights, such as credits for unused travel funds. Short-haul flights should be used only in exceptional circumstances, the academies suggested.