This conclusion was reached by a group of scientists from the Research Institute of Astrophysics and Planetology in France. According to their calculations, currently active observatories and scientific and space infrastructure in general have an accumulated carbon footprint of about 20 million tons of CO2-equivalent. This is comparable to the annual emissions of small European countries like Estonia, Bulgaria and Croatia. The industry produces 1,17 million tons of CO annually2-equivalent, which corresponds to about 36,6 tons of emissions per individual scientist.
Astronomer Annie Hughes stated: “No study has ever attempted to calculate the carbon emissions associated with the construction and operation of all the telescopes and space missions that astronomers use to make observations. Therefore, our results are the first quantitative assessment of the carbon footprint left by professionals in this environment. It is quite large, far more than all the other sources of carbon emissions in our professional activities combined.”