  Scientific research can bring about important progress in developing
renewable energy technology such as solar cells. However, in addition to
positive impact, research also comes at a cost, and one such cost is the CO$_2$
footprint associated with doing research and producing technologies. Here, as
an example of such a cost, I estimate the associated greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions associated with my PhD, in which I researched computational and
experimental design of thin film materials for photovoltaics. I consider
supercomputer power, synchrotron beam time, laboratory synthesis and
characterization, travel associated with research, and personal emissions over
the course of my PhD. This analysis demonstrates that doing science increases
my carbon footprint to much higher than an average American. Because our
consumption is so high, scientists have a moral imperative to reduce our own
emissions in our laboratories and in the technologies we create.
