Low-co2 research paper

Logo of the Low-co2 research paper initiative

The ‘low-co2 research paper’ initiative has been launched in August 2025 by TCS4F. The current version is v1. The goal of the initiative is to advertise the low environmental impact of a research work.

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Resources (logo, how to use, LaTeX macros) can be found as a zip file here.

The initiative

Referring to the low-co2 research paper initiative means that one agrees with the following statement:
Low-co2 research paper statement (v1): In recognition of the climate crisis as one of the defining challenges of our time, the authors of this work affirm a fundamental ethical principle of environmentally responsible scholarship: the necessity to reduce the carbon footprint associated with academic research and its dissemination. In particular, no plane travel was used specifically to prepare or present this paper.
Everyone can refer to this initiative in a paper or in a presentation, subject to the following rules:
  • Low impact. The research and its dissemination required a significantly low carbon footprint compared to other similar works in the field.
  • Acknowledgment. In a paper, the low-co2  glyph should be used followed with the sentence “This is a low-co2 research paper: https://tcs4f.org/low-co2-v1” (with proper version number). In a presentation, the low-co2 logo with the text should be used.
  • Transparency. The acknowledgment should come with a statement of impact, which is a short description of how the research was conducted in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. The statement of impact can be omitted in presentations.

Frequently asked questions

What is a typical statement of impact?
A minimal statement, in the context of theoretical computer science where the use of plane travel is the most impactful, would be: “This research was developed, written, submitted and presented without the use of air travel.” To give more details, one can add for instance: “All research visits were done by train, and the other collaborations were conducted remotely using digital communication tools.”

Does my work comply to the low impact rule?
You are judge of it. The statement of impact should clarify it. Some special cases are developed below.

Only one of my coauthors did take the plane, does it still comply with the low impact rule?
The general answer is no. As an exception, if the plane trip was for a long-term visit (at least one month seems a reasonable lower bound), this is up to your judgment. At any rate, the declaration of how the research was conducted should mention it nominatively, for instance: "This research was conducted during a three months visit of X at Y. Other than that, plane travel was not used for its development, its writing, its submission or its presentation.”

Should we mention the low-co2 research paper initiative when submitting a work for review?
The low-co2 research paper statement is not related to the scientific quality of the contribution itself. Thus, it should not be used as an argument in a scientific evaluation process. For this reason, the recommendation is to not mention it when papers are submitted for reviewing.

In which research fields can low-co2 research paper be used?
The initiative is from the TCS4F group (https://www.tcs4f.org) which covers the field of theoretical computer science. However, the initiative makes sense across all research communities, and can be used directly as such.

You are also welcome to create similar initiatives to this one but adapted to your research community. Feel free to use the name “low-co2 research paper” (or a variant thereof), but please use a different logo and different URL. (We would appreciate, however, if you would link back to this initiative, and keep us informed.) The description of the rules should also be updated to be consistent with the habits of your community.

Who enforces these criteria?
The low-co2 research paper initiative is from the TCS4F group. No control is made in order to verify if the works mentioning the initiative actually comply with its requirements. This is a tool offered to the research community, and the authors are responsible of the correctness of what they declare.

Are there other related initiatives acknowledged via scientific papers?
Examples of similar initiatives include: