add environmental sustainability section (#247) (#255)

* add environmental sustainability section (#247)

* make spellchecker happy

* expand tasks and responsibilities

* fix typo

---------

Co-authored-by: Michele Martone <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Magnus Hagdorn <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Toby Hodges <[email protected]>

.github/spellignore.txt

@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ HPC-CF
 HPC-oriented
 HTC
 IDEs
+IEA
 Ing
 ISCB
 iteratively

bibliography.bib

@@ -4782,6 +4782,32 @@ @article{Henriksen2016
 keywords = {Re-identification, Anonymisation, Anonymization, Systematic literature review},
 }
 
+@article{Richardson2023,
+author = {Katherine Richardson  and Will Steffen  and Wolfgang Lucht  and Jørgen Bendtsen  and Sarah E. Cornell  and Jonathan F. Donges  and Markus Drüke  and Ingo Fetzer  and Govindasamy Bala  and Werner von Bloh  and Georg Feulner  and Stephanie Fiedler  and Dieter Gerten  and Tom Gleeson  and Matthias Hofmann  and Willem Huiskamp  and Matti Kummu  and Chinchu Mohan  and David Nogués-Bravo  and Stefan Petri  and Miina Porkka  and Stefan Rahmstorf  and Sibyll Schaphoff  and Kirsten Thonicke  and Arne Tobian  and Vili Virkki  and Lan Wang-Erlandsson  and Lisa Weber  and Johan Rockström },
+title = {Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries},
+journal = {Science Advances},
+volume = {9},
+number = {37},
+pages = {eadh2458},
+year = {2023},
+doi = {10.1126/sciadv.adh2458},
+URL = {https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458},
+eprint = {https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458},
+abstract = {This planetary boundaries framework update finds that six of the nine boundaries are transgressed, suggesting that Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity. Ocean acidification is close to being breached, while aerosol loading regionally exceeds the boundary. Stratospheric ozone levels have slightly recovered. The transgression level has increased for all boundaries earlier identified as overstepped. As primary production drives Earth system biosphere functions, human appropriation of net primary production is proposed as a control variable for functional biosphere integrity. This boundary is also transgressed. Earth system modeling of different levels of the transgression of the climate and land system change boundaries illustrates that these anthropogenic impacts on Earth system must be considered in a systemic context. Transgression of planetary boundaries by human activities have now brought humanity well beyond a “safe operating space.”}}
+
+@article{Sills2019,
+author = {Jennifer Sills  and Gregor Hagedorn  and Peter Kalmus  and Michael Mann  and Sara Vicca  and Joke Van den Berge  and Jean-Pascal van Ypersele  and Dominique Bourg  and Jan Rotmans  and Roope Kaaronen  and Stefan Rahmstorf  and Helga Kromp-Kolb  and Gottfried Kirchengast  and Reto Knutti  and Sonia I. Seneviratne  and Philippe Thalmann  and Raven Cretney  and Alison Green  and Kevin Anderson  and Martin Hedberg  and Douglas Nilsson  and Amita Kuttner  and Katharine Hayhoe },
+title = {Concerns of young protesters are justified},
+journal = {Science},
+volume = {364},
+number = {6436},
+pages = {139-140},
+year = {2019},
+doi = {10.1126/science.aax3807},
+URL = {https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aax3807},
+eprint = {https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.aax3807}
+}
+
 @online{SURESOFTLink,
 organization = {TU Braunschweig, FAU Erlangen-N{\"u}rnberg},
 title = {SureSoft},
@@ -4809,6 +4835,15 @@ @book{swebok_2014
 	month = jan,
 }
 
+@article{Sutter2005,
+  title = {The Free Lunch Is Over},
+  urldate = {2024-04-10},
+  author = {Sutter, Herb},
+  month = dec,
+  year = {2003},
+  url = {http://www.gotw.ca/publications/concurrency-ddj.htm},
+}
+
 @article{Sweeney2002,
   title = {{k}-Anonymity: A Model For Protecting Privacy},
   volume = {10},
@@ -4907,6 +4942,17 @@ @InProceedings{Trockman2018
   venue     = {Gothenburg, Sweden},
 }
 
+@TechReport{IEA2024,
+  author      = {{International Energy Agency (IEA)}},
+  title       = {Electricity 2024},
+  institution = {IEA},
+  year        = {2024},
+  type        = {Report},
+  month       = jan,
+  url         = {https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-2024},
+  address     = {Paris, France},
+}
+
 @TechReport{UNESCO2019,
   author      = {{UNESCO's General Conference}},
   title       = {Recommendation on Open Educational Resources ({OER})},

competencies.md

@@ -365,6 +365,30 @@ and therefore need to be able to make a value-based judgement on topics
 such as open science, path dependence, and vendor lock-in.
 
 
+### Addressing environmental sustainability within planetary limits
+
+The last two decades saw transistor technology approach the limits of attainable miniaturisation, 
+and top chip clock frequency begin to plateau [@Sutter2005].
+Nevertheless, a misleading belief in limitless growth of computing capabilities
+(storage, computing power, transfer speed) is still widespread within popular perception.
+A practical consequence of this is an ever-growing demand for resources to cover
+the expanding need of storage and processing, with no clear deceleration in
+sight (e.g. the IEA estimates a doubling in data centres energy consumption from
+2024 to 2026 [@IEA2024]). At the same time, current science is well aware of
+several planetary boundaries being trespassed due to human activities
+[@Richardson2023]. Data processing, storage and transfer account for a non
+negligible fraction [@IEA2024]. Demands to move resource consumption to a
+sustainable rate are well justified and supported by science [@Sills2019].
+
+RSEs have the opportunity to contribute to this effort by, for example,
+choosing computationally adequate approaches (e.g. recognising where a
+proven statistical method may suffice in place of a power-hungry AI model,
+or configuring a test pipeline to minimise redundancy), and embracing data
+frugality measures (e.g. recognising sufficient resolution when sampling data
+for processing or storage). If past computational solutions were frugal because
+of technological limits, in future they should tend to that by virtue of an
+awareness of what may be adequate.
+
 ### Emerging challenges
 
 RSEs often operate at the cutting edge of technological development
@@ -612,6 +636,13 @@ knowledge of \gls{TEAM}, and \gls{PM}. Today this means effective use of
 \acp{IDE}, \gls{static-analysis} tools, \glspl{design-pattern} and documentation
 (for oneself and others).
 
+The RSE needs to be able to choose appropriate algorithms and techniques
+(\gls{MOD} and \gls{NEW}). Apart from the technical feasibility, this choice is
+also informed by the values outlined in Section @sec:values. For example, the
+RSE needs to be able to estimate resource usage (processing, memory and storage
+consumption). Resource usage has not only a direct financial price tag but also
+environmental costs via associated energy consumption.
+
 Software development also includes testing. This task is a manifestation of the
 \ac{SE} competencies of \gls{DOCBB} and \gls{MOD} since a model of the software
 is required in order to write good tests that facilitate understanding and
@@ -1289,6 +1320,7 @@ Heidi Seibold, Jeremy Cohen, Florian Goth, Renato Alves, Jan Philipp Thiele,
 Jan Linxweiler, Jean-Noël Grad, and Samantha Wittke contributed the initial draft.
 Florian Goth supervised the project and did the project administration.
 Jean-Noël Grad conceived and implemented the software tooling.
+Michele Martone wrote the first draft of the environmental sustainability section.
 Everybody contributed to the final review and editing.
 
 \appendix