At the 16th International Particle Accelerator Conference (IPAC 2025, Taipei, 1–6 June), Dr. Hannah Wakeling delivered a contributed talk titled "Communicating environmental sustainability guidelines for large accelerator facilities" in the MC8: Applications of Accelerators, and Engagement for Industry and Society session.
As the particle accelerator community increasingly recognises the urgency of climate change and environmental responsibility, integrating sustainable practices into large-scale scientific infrastructure has moved from optional to essential. Wakeling’s presentation aimed to catalyse that shift by proposing a framework through which accelerator projects can embed sustainability early into design, operation, and decommissioning.
Central to the message is a "living document": a set of high-level sustainability guidelines for large accelerator facilities that evolve over time, drawing on community input, case studies, and advances in methodology.
Some of the highlights from her presentation include
- the need to embed sustainability early on,
- a shift from generic to accelerator-specific efforts, and
- the call for community collaboration and communication.
The goal of Wakeling’s IPAC presentation was to help bring accelerator sustainability discussion into a broader forum. It offered practical pathways forward, encouraging accelerator projects to follow and contribute to the guidelines to enable the adoption of sustainability as a design goal alongside performance and cost.
Following IPAC, the living guidelines will continue to develop. The version 1 of the document already exists (arXiv preprint) and will iterate based on community feedback and case study inputs. Version 2 is anticipated for January 2026.
For the John Adams Institute, this presentation reinforces our institutional commitment to not only pushing the frontiers of accelerator science, but doing so responsibly, mindful of environmental impact and long-term sustainability.
