From John Gee, Capel Dewi, Carmarthenshire, UK
I was surprised to find Graham Lawton relishing the thought of a trip to an Ecological Society of America conference in California (22 August, p 24). If ecological groups, of all organisations, can’t abandon their fixation with physical international conferences, then we really are in a pickle.
Does the chance to exchange ideas over a couple of drinks really justify flying thousands of miles when, by Lawton’s own admission, video conferencing ticks almost all the boxes? Virtual events are also fairer for scientists from low-income nations who may lack the funds to attend in person. So what if “aviation is only 7 per cent of global oil consumption”? When emissions come from such a wide range of sources, we can all play the game of claiming our favoured activity is responsible for only a small amount.
