Digital Humanities Climate Coalition Announced as UKI DH Association Community Interest Group

The Digital Humanities Climate Coalition, which CDCS helped to establish, has been announced as one of the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association’s Community Interest Groups. The association has launched these groups as part of their efforts to create an inclusive, collaborative, and sustainable environment for DH research. 

The Digital Humanities Climate Coalition focuses on understanding and minimising the environmental impact of DH research. In response to the ongoing climate emergency, and considering its wider climate justice implications. The group has four clear aims: to develop a clearer picture of the resource implications of digital humanities research; to create resources that help researchers to make informed decisions about the impact of their work; to support our institutions to adapt the services, processes, policies on which our research depends; to influence funders and other key players to ensure climate responsibility is a key consideration in project planning. In 2022, the DHCC published ‘A Researcher Guide to Writing a Climate Justice-Oriented Data Management Plan’ and the Digital Humanities Climate Coalition Toolkit, which collects resources to support researchers in trying to lower their carbon footprint and resource use. 

The DHCC Community Interest Group supports these aims by holding workshops, events and a discussion forum to explore the environmental aspects of DH research practice.  Through these community-led conversations the CIG will identify appropriate activities and support short term working groups to expand the toolkit and develop complementary materials, raise awareness of the need for climate conscious research practices, and build up a knowledge base of relevant resources for the Association’s wider membership. The DHCC aims to be as open and inclusive a community group as possible, and welcomes contact from anyone with an interest in our activities. Email cdcs@ed.ac.uk to get involved!