A climate researcher is trying to cut his carbon footprint. It could cost him his job

A climate researcher faces losing his job after he refused to fly home from a fieldwork project in Papa New Guinea to minimise his carbon footprint.

Dr Gianluca Grimalda, who works at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany, has refused to take flights since 2010 unless there is no other option - a stance that his employer has previously supported.

The academic, who is a member of protest group Scientist Rebellion, described his “fear and trauma” over potentially being fired in order to hold true to his beliefs.

“Maybe I will not find another research position,” he told The Independent. “Doing research is the thing I love the most in my life.”

Earlier this year, the academic embarked on a 35-day, 9,300-mile (15,000km) overland journey including through Iran, India and Thailand to reach Papa New Guinea in the southwest Pacific.

The academic acknowledged that he had been delayed in his return to Germany which he attributed to his group being held hostage and additional security threats in Papua New Guinea. Last week, his bosses sent an official warning and demanded he return to his desk by 2 October, the scientist said.

His salary was also stopped in September, he added, a source of major stress.

“I pay for the healthcare of my mum in Italy. One-third of my salary goes to the payment of the healthcare of my mum,” he told The Independent via a WhatsApp call from Bougainville Island on Wednesday.

He added: “I perceive immoral blackmail in what they were telling me. They wanted me to renege on my moral principles, on my commitment, in order to admit my failure in not having complied with the agreement that I had with them.”

Dr Grimalda was waiting to board a cargo ship to begin the first leg of his journey home, a voyage which required special permission from the National Maritime authority of Papua New Guinea, before continuing via bus, train and passenger ferries.

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“My stance is to not take a plane unless there is no alternative,” he said. He explained that on the outbound journey, he was forced to take two flights - one because China’s borders were still closed in February due to Covid, and another to reach Papua New Guinea from Singapore.

The scientist said that the Kiel Institute has been supportive of his slow travel in the past, and that it has not impacted his work.

“I analyse my data, write articles, read articles. There is nothing that I can do in Germany in my office that I cannot do while traveling,” he said.

“Occasionally I don’t have internet while traveling but I just wait a little time and then I can connect to the internet.”

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He acknowledged that he was supposed to have returned to Kiel by 10 September but said that he had informed his head of department about the security threats he had faced.

“We were held hostage for some hours under machete threat. All of my belongings were confiscated,” he said.

“I now learned that I should have also informed the personnel office, I was not aware of that. Apparently for the Kiel Institute that was a major infringement of my contractual obligations. But I really had no idea, I thought that informing my immediate supervisor was enough.”

In an email to The Independent, Guido Warlimont, head of communications at the Kiel Institute, wrote: “We remain committed to our policy of not publicly discussing or commenting on personal legal matters. This is also for the protection of our employees.

“In general, the Institute encourages and supports its staff to travel climate-friendly. We are committed to do without air travel in Germany and in other EU countries as far as we can. We pay to Atmosfair to offset emissions through climate protection projects.”

Mr Warlimont added that Dr Grimalda planned his trip to Papua with Kiel’s support, and that the institute had supported a “slow travel” trip that he made previously.

Flying is one of the most emissions-intensive pursuits an individual can do. A person’s carbon footprint increases by ticket class - and rockets with private jet travel.

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Domestic and international aviation is responsible for about 10 per cent of transport sector emissions. Roughly 1 per cent of the global population is responsible for more than half of these, the UN says.

Flying is expected to boom in the coming decades as more countries grow their middle classes. Carbon emissions from the airline industry grew by 75 per cent from 1990 to 2012, according to the David Suzuki Foundation. “If left unchecked, they could consume quarter of the available carbon budget for limiting temperature rise to 1.5C,” the research group said.

Dr Grimalda estimated that by avoiding the majority of flights, he cut his carbon emissions by 90 per cent.

“Travelling this way, I will emit 400 kilograms of carbon dioxide. By catching a plane, I emit 4,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide so it’s a big difference,” he said.

The academic said that his resolve had been strengthened by what he witnessed in Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis.

The country is experiencing sea-level rise and more frequent storm surge, forcing coastal communities to relocate. In mountain villages, drought is causing food shortages.

“I’m going to stick to this promise I made to all these people who are so exposed to climate change without having any responsibility,” he said.

“Sea level rise is not because of their emissions. People from the US are the ones with the highest carbon footprint in the world, but also Europeans. I don’t want to fail these people one more time, even if this means losing my job.”

Dr Grimalda said that, by his calculations, even his slow travel plans are equivalent to the average Papuan’s emissions in one year.

“My estimation is the average person from Bougainville emits 400 kg carbon dioxide in one year,” he said. “To give you a sense of proportion, the average person in the world emits four tons of carbon dioxide in one year [and] the average US citizen emits 20 tonnes.

The Italian academic’s story has resonated through the realms of academia and beyond. His saga, which he has shared on X, formerly Twitter, has received hundreds of comments and mounting media attention. Fellow academics have written to the Kiel Institute in protest on his behalf.

“We need more people like [Gianluca Grimalda],” wrote PhD student Tuulia Reponen. “You are my hero.”

Some 70 per cent of carbon emissions come from just 100 companies worldwide, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Mr Grimalda acknowledges that he would be a “fool” to think his individual actions could alter the course of the climate crisis.

“But I thought that this was the right occasion to really sound the alarm bell, to tell as many people as possible that we really need to change completely our lifestyle,” he said.