Workshop description

Two to three years are left to drive change in the fight against climate collapse, as highlighted by Sir David King the former chief scientific advisor for the UK government. Current data suggest that climate collapse is close, as environmental policies by governments around the world are not capable of keeping our planet below 1.5°C increase from preindustrial revolution temperatures, according to Professor Johan Rockström of the Potsdam institute for climate impact. Τhe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports on the need to remain below the 1.5°C threshold to avoid risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth. As a result, natural disasters such as wildfires and floods appear more frequently due to the effects of climate change.  To drive change more effectively, roboticists must consider how robots can be used to fight against climate collapse, and to develop methods to make robotic systems more sustainable and eco-friendly.  Additionally, the role of  robots in disaster management must be explored.  We propose to organize a workshop in cooperation with environmental scientists to both hear from experts in environmental science and environmental robotics, and brainstorm solutions to the challenges outlined (robots for the environment, and sustainable robotics). This workshop is a grassroots effort led by PhD students around the world to inject change in the development of green robotic systems. At the end of the workshop, we aim to have an action plan for technology development and a network of roboticists that are passionate about the environment to form an IEEE RAS Technical Committee.