  With increasing concerns over climate change, scientists must imperatively
acknowledge their share in CO2 emissions. Considering the large emissions
associated with scientific traveling - especially international conferences -
initiatives to mitigate such impact are blooming. With the COVID-19 pandemic
shattering our notion of private/professional interactions, the moment should
be seized to reinvent science conferences and collaborations with a model
respectful of the environment. Yet, despite efforts to reduce the footprint of
conferences, there is a lack of a robust approach based on reliable numbers
(emissions, carbon offsetting/removals, etc.) to accompany this shift of
paradigm. Here, considering a representative scientific society, the
International Adsorption Society, we report on a case study of the problem:
making conferences carbon neutral while respecting the needs of scientists. We
first provide a quantitative analysis of the CO2 emissions for the IAS
conference in 2022 related to accommodation, catering, flights, etc. Second, we
conduct two surveys probing our community view on the carbon footprint of our
activities. These surveys mirror each other, and were distributed two years
before and in the aftermath of our triennial conference (also corresponding to
pre/post COVID times). By combining the different parts, we propose ambitious
recommendations to shape the future of conferences.
