EDBT/ICDT is a leading conference on database research, both practical (EDBT) and theoretical (ICDT). In 2020, EDBT/ICDT was held online because of the pandemic, but it was also the first edition to feature a climate change session. This session introduced participants to the ongoing climate crisis and presented how our research activities are a factor of this crisis: both in terms of the research topics that we study, and in terms of our (pre-COVID) practices of travelling to academic conferences. The session was organized by Demetris Zeinalipour for EDBT, and by myself, Antoine Amarilli, for ICDT.

As a maintainer of the TCS4F initiative, and in preparation for the next EDBT/ICDT edition, I am happy to publish here our report of this climate change session. It contains both a summary of the session, and some concrete proposals from us to adjust the organization of future EDBT/ICDT editions. These proposals are still under discussion by the decision bodies of EDBT/ICDT.

You can download the report here. You can also see the slides of last year’s presentation.

The 2021 EDBT/ICDT edition will again happen online. There will again be a climate change session, where we will present our proposals, and have a discussion featuring Benjamin Pierce as an external guest to give us a broader perspective. If you are registered to EDBT/ICDT this year, we encourage you to follow that session! (on Friday 26 March at 16:30 central Europe time (GMT+1))