Grimalda had been conducting climate research in Papua New Guinea. He understands air travel’s significant contribution to climate change and tries to practice what he preaches. So last February, Grimalda managed the 14,000-mile journey to Papua New Guinea on cargo ships, ferries, trains, and buses. It took him 35 days.

Grimalda intended to travel back to Germany under the same conveyance, saving an estimated 7.2 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, round trip. Yet he was told by his employer, Kiel Institute for World Economy, that if he was not at his desk on October 9, he would be fired.

Grimalda’s research involved studying the impact of climate change on coastal communities in the Solomon Islands, where entire villages have already been forced to move inland to escape sea-level rise. “[Grimalda explained] to islanders how the carbon emissions of the industrialized world were causing the disasters they faced. And he promised them he would minimize his CO2 emissions on his journey back to Europe to avoid contributing to their suffering.”
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