Account for AI in the environmental footprint of scientific publishing

• CORRESPONDENCE

• 24 February 2026

Account for AI in the environmental footprint of scientific publishing

Giovanni Bacaro0

Giovanni Bacaro

University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.

View author publications

Search author on:
PubMed
Google Scholar

Access through your institution

Buy or subscribe

A May 2025 News feature shows that text generated by artificial intelligence has entered the publication workflow through the use of AI tools in writing, revising and peer-reviewing articles (see Nature 641, 574–578; 2025). These steps are not tracked, and so scientific publishing is acquiring an environmental footprint that no journal is currently measuring.

Access options

Access through your institution

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

27,99 € / 30 days

cancel any time

Receive 51 print issues and online access

199,00 € per year

only 3,90 € per issue

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 650, 1070 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00590-0

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Is it OK for AI to write science papers? Nature survey shows researchers are split

AI reviewers are here — we are not ready

Will AI speed up literature reviews or derail them entirely?

Subjects

Publishing

Scientific community

Sustainability

Latest on:

Publishing

Scientific community

Sustainability

[Five ways to spot when a paper is a fraud

Technology Feature 25 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00569-x)

[Pop-up journals for policy research: can temporary titles deliver answers?

Nature Index 25 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00446-7)

[The Contributor Role Taxonomy tool must serve to record extent of authorship

Correspondence 24 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00591-z)

[I will continue the fight for environmental justice in Black communities

Career Q&A 27 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00538-4)

[White House stalls release of approved US science budgets

News 27 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00601-0)

[Pokémon turns 30 — how the fictional pocket monsters shaped science

News 27 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00441-y)

[Evidence alone won’t save biodiversity: the golden apple snail reveals an implementation gap

Correspondence 24 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00593-x)

[Support people and their livelihoods rather than fossil-fuel industries

Editorial 11 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00382-6)

[Preserving water under megacities is crucial — and urgent

Correspondence 10 FEB 26](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00420-3)

###

####
Jobs

Faculty Positions at Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake University

Seeking scientists in pathobiology, immunology, vaccinology, epidemiology, drug discovery, focusing on microbial infections and inflammations.

Hangzhou, Zhejiang (CN)

Center for Infectious Disease Research, Westlake University

Faculty Positions at Institute of Physics (IOP), Chinese Academy of Sciences

IOP is China's premier research institution in condensed matter physics and related fields.

Beijing (CN)

Institute of Physics (IOP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Catalysis)

Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Catalysis) Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Pune or Delhi Application Deadline: Marc...

Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Pune or Delhi

Springer Nature Ltd

Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Computational Science

Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Computational Science  Organization: Nature Portfolio  Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Berlin or Pune - Hybr...

Shanghai, Beijing, Berlin or Pune - Hybrid Working Model

Springer Nature Ltd

2026 Overseas Outstanding Young Scholars: NKU Invites Talents From Around the World

Nankai University sincerely invite outstanding talents at home and abroad to apply for the 2026 Overseas Outstanding Young Scholars Fund.

Tianjin, CN

Nankai University

Original source