Research Summary: Energy and CO2 Footprint of Climate Model Intercomparison Projects

Research indicates that Earth System Models (ESMs), crucial for climate simulation, are experiencing growing computational demands due to factors such as finer spatial resolutions, integration of complex biogeochemical processes, and larger climate ensembles. This growth in computational needs, particularly within Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs), is leading to increased energy consumption and associated CO2 footprints, as improvements in peak computing performance have historically outpaced energy efficiency gains. The document highlights the unquantified environmental costs of these essential research activities.

Why it matters

The unquantified and growing energy and CO2 footprint of essential climate modeling research presents a strategic challenge. It necessitates a re-evaluation of resource allocation and technological development to ensure that climate research, which aims to address environmental sustainability, does not disproportionately contribute to environmental burden through its operational demands.

Key insights

• Earth System Models (ESMs) depend heavily on High-Performance Computing (HPC) for global climate simulations.
• Computational demands for ESMs are increasing due to finer spatial grid resolutions, integration of complex biogeochemical processes, and larger climate ensembles.
• Growth in peak computing performance (FLOP/s) has outpaced energy efficiency improvements (FLOP/Watt).
• This imbalance contributes to increasing total HPC power consumption.
• The computational and environmental costs of Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs) have not been adequately quantified.
• MIPs play a central role in climate research.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.23509