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Documents authored by Becker, Christoph

Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagMan.11.1.1
Climate Change: What is Computing’s Responsibility? (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25122)

Authors: Bran Knowles, Vicki L. Hanson, Christoph Becker, Mike Berners-Lee, Andrew A. Chien, Benoit Combemale, Vlad Coroamă, Koen De Bosschere, Yi Ding, Adrian Friday, Boris Gamazaychikov, Lynda Hardman, Simon Hinterholzer, Mattias Höjer, Lynn Kaack, Lenneke Kuijer, Anne-Laure Ligozat, Jan Tobias Muehlberg, Yunmook Nah, Thomas Olsson, Anne-Cécile Orgerie, Daniel Pargman, Birgit Penzenstadler, Tom Romanoff, Emma Strubell, Colin Venters, and Junhua Zhao

Published in: Dagstuhl Manifestos, Volume 11, Issue 1 (2025)

Abstract
This Manifesto was produced from the Perspectives Workshop 25122 entitled "Climate Change: What is Computing’s Responsibility?" held March 16-19, 2025 at Schloss Dagstuhl, Germany. The Workshop provided a forum for world-leading computer scientists and expert consultants on environmental policy and sustainable transition to engage in a critical and urgent conversation about computing’s responsibilities in addressing climate change - or more aptly, climate crisis. The resulting Manifesto outlines commitments and directions for future action which, if adopted as a basis for more responsible computing practices, will help ensure that these technologies do not threaten the long-term habitability of the planet. We preface our Manifesto with a recognition that humanity is on a path that is not in agreement with international global warming targets and explore how computing technologies are currently hastening the overshoot of these boundaries. We critically assess the vaunted potential for harnessing computing technologies for the mitigation of global warming, agreeing that, under current circumstances, computing is contributing to negative environmental impacts in other sectors. Computing primarily improves efficiency and reduces costs which leads to more consumption and more negative environmental impact. Relying solely on efficiency gains in computing has thus far proven to be insufficient to curb global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, computing’s purpose within a strategy for tackling climate change must be reimagined. Our recommendations cover changes that need to be urgently made to the design priorities of computing technologies, but also speak to the more systemic shift in mindset, with sustainability and human rights providing a necessary moral foundation for developing the kinds of computing technologies most needed by society. We also stress the importance of digital policy that accounts for both the direct material impacts of computing and the detrimental indirect impacts arising from computing-enabled efficiencies, and the role of computing professionals in informing policy making.
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Bran Knowles, Vicki L. Hanson, Christoph Becker, Mike Berners-Lee, Andrew A. Chien, Benoit Combemale, Vlad Coroamă, Koen De Bosschere, Yi Ding, Adrian Friday, Boris Gamazaychikov, Lynda Hardman, Simon Hinterholzer, Mattias Höjer, Lynn Kaack, Lenneke Kuijer, Anne-Laure Ligozat, Jan Tobias Muehlberg, Yunmook Nah, Thomas Olsson, Anne-Cécile Orgerie, Daniel Pargman, Birgit Penzenstadler, Tom Romanoff, Emma Strubell, Colin Venters, and Junhua Zhao. Climate Change: What is Computing’s Responsibility? (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25122). In Dagstuhl Manifestos, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 1-18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@Article{knowles_et_al:DagMan.11.1.1,
  author =	{Knowles, Bran and Hanson, Vicki L. and Becker, Christoph and Berners-Lee, Mike and Chien, Andrew A. and Combemale, Benoit and Coroam\u{a}, Vlad and De Bosschere, Koen and Ding, Yi and Friday, Adrian and Gamazaychikov, Boris and Hardman, Lynda and Hinterholzer, Simon and H\"{o}jer, Mattias and Kaack, Lynn and Kuijer, Lenneke and Ligozat, Anne-Laure and Muehlberg, Jan Tobias and Nah, Yunmook and Olsson, Thomas and Orgerie, Anne-C\'{e}cile and Pargman, Daniel and Penzenstadler, Birgit and Romanoff, Tom and Strubell, Emma and Venters, Colin and Zhao, Junhua},
  title =	{{Climate Change: What is Computing’s Responsibility? (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 25122)}},
  pages =	{1--18},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Manifestos},
  ISSN =	{2193-2433},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{11},
  number =	{1},
  editor =	{Knowles, Bran and Hanson, Vicki L. and Becker, Christoph and Berners-Lee, Mike and Chien, Andrew A. and Combemale, Benoit and Coroam\u{a}, Vlad and De Bosschere, Koen and Ding, Yi and Friday, Adrian and Gamazaychikov, Boris and Hardman, Lynda and Hinterholzer, Simon and H\"{o}jer, Mattias and Kaack, Lynn and Kuijer, Lenneke and Ligozat, Anne-Laure and Muehlberg, Jan Tobias and Nah, Yunmook and Olsson, Thomas and Orgerie, Anne-C\'{e}cile and Pargman, Daniel and Penzenstadler, Birgit and Romanoff, Tom and Strubell, Emma and Venters, Colin and Zhao, Junhua},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagMan.11.1.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-250724},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagMan.11.1.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: sustainability, climate change, efficiency, supply chain management, climate modelling}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagRep.9.7.40
Values in Computing (Dagstuhl Seminar 19291)

Authors: Christoph Becker, Gregor Engels, Andrew Feenberg, Maria Angela Ferrario, and Geraldine Fitzpatrick

Published in: Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 9, Issue 7 (2020)

Abstract
Values are deeply held principles guiding decisions of individuals, groups and organizations. Computing technologies are inevitably affected by values: through their design, values become embodied and enacted. However, some values are easier to quantify and articulate than others; for example, the financial value of a software product is easier to measure than its `fairness'. As a result, less measurable values are often dismissed in decision making processes as lacking evidence. This is particularly problematic since research shows that less measurable values tend to be more strongly associated with sustainable practices than easier to quantify ones; it also indicates that the systems we design are likely to be inadequate for tackling long-term complex societal problems such as environmental change and health-related challenges that so often computing technologies are asked to address. This seminar aims to examine the complex relations between values, computing technologies and society. It does so by bringing together practitioners and researchers from several areas within and beyond computer science, including human computer interaction, software engineering, computer ethics, moral philosophy, philosophy of technology, data science and critical data studies. The outcomes include concrete cases examined through diverse disciplinary perspectives and guidelines for values in computing research, development and education, which are expressed in this report.
Cite as

Christoph Becker, Gregor Engels, Andrew Feenberg, Maria Angela Ferrario, and Geraldine Fitzpatrick. Values in Computing (Dagstuhl Seminar 19291). In Dagstuhl Reports, Volume 9, Issue 7, pp. 40-77, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@Article{becker_et_al:DagRep.9.7.40,
  author =	{Becker, Christoph and Engels, Gregor and Feenberg, Andrew and Ferrario, Maria Angela and Fitzpatrick, Geraldine},
  title =	{{Values in Computing (Dagstuhl Seminar 19291)}},
  pages =	{40--77},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Reports},
  ISSN =	{2192-5283},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{9},
  number =	{7},
  editor =	{Becker, Christoph and Engels, Gregor and Feenberg, Andrew and Ferrario, Maria Angela and Fitzpatrick, Geraldine},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagRep.9.7.40},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-116358},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagRep.9.7.40},
  annote =	{Keywords: computing in society, responsible innovation, sustainability informatics computer ethics, philosophy of technology and moral philosophy}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagMan.6.1.1
Engineering Academic Software (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 16252)

Authors: Alice Allen, Cecilia Aragon, Christoph Becker, Jeffrey Carver, Andrei Chis, Benoit Combemale, Mike Croucher, Kevin Crowston, Daniel Garijo, Ashish Gehani, Carole Goble, Robert Haines, Robert Hirschfeld, James Howison, Kathryn Huff, Caroline Jay, Daniel S. Katz, Claude Kirchner, Katie Kuksenok, Ralf Lämmel, Oscar Nierstrasz, Matt Turk, Rob van Nieuwpoort, Matthew Vaughn, and Jurgen J. Vinju

Published in: Dagstuhl Manifestos, Volume 6, Issue 1 (2017)

Abstract
Software is often a critical component of scientific research. It can be a component of the academic research methods used to produce research results, or it may itself be an academic research result. Software, however, has rarely been considered to be a citable artifact in its own right. With the advent of open-source software, artifact evaluation committees of conferences, and journals that include source code and running systems as part of the published artifacts, we foresee that software will increasingly be recognized as part of the academic process. The quality and sustainability of this software must be accounted for, both a prioro and a posteriori. The Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop on "Engineering Academic Software" has examined the strengths, weaknesses, risks, and opportunities of academic software engineering. A key outcome of the workshop is this Dagstuhl Manifesto, serving as a roadmap towards future professional software engineering for software-based research instruments and other software produced and used in an academic context. The manifesto is expressed in terms of a series of actionable "pledges" that users and developers of academic research software can take as concrete steps towards improving the environment in which that software is produced.
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Alice Allen, Cecilia Aragon, Christoph Becker, Jeffrey Carver, Andrei Chis, Benoit Combemale, Mike Croucher, Kevin Crowston, Daniel Garijo, Ashish Gehani, Carole Goble, Robert Haines, Robert Hirschfeld, James Howison, Kathryn Huff, Caroline Jay, Daniel S. Katz, Claude Kirchner, Katie Kuksenok, Ralf Lämmel, Oscar Nierstrasz, Matt Turk, Rob van Nieuwpoort, Matthew Vaughn, and Jurgen J. Vinju. Engineering Academic Software (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 16252). In Dagstuhl Manifestos, Volume 6, Issue 1, pp. 1-20, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2017)

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@Article{allen_et_al:DagMan.6.1.1,
  author =	{Allen, Alice and Aragon, Cecilia and Becker, Christoph and Carver, Jeffrey and Chis, Andrei and Combemale, Benoit and Croucher, Mike and Crowston, Kevin and Garijo, Daniel and Gehani, Ashish and Goble, Carole and Haines, Robert and Hirschfeld, Robert and Howison, James and Huff, Kathryn and Jay, Caroline and Katz, Daniel S. and Kirchner, Claude and Kuksenok, Katie and L\"{a}mmel, Ralf and Nierstrasz, Oscar and Turk, Matt and van Nieuwpoort, Rob and Vaughn, Matthew and Vinju, Jurgen J.},
  title =	{{Engineering Academic Software (Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 16252)}},
  pages =	{1--20},
  journal =	{Dagstuhl Manifestos},
  ISSN =	{2193-2433},
  year =	{2017},
  volume =	{6},
  number =	{1},
  editor =	{Allen, Alice and Aragon, Cecilia and Becker, Christoph and Carver, Jeffrey and Chis, Andrei and Combemale, Benoit and Croucher, Mike and Crowston, Kevin and Garijo, Daniel and Gehani, Ashish and Goble, Carole and Haines, Robert and Hirschfeld, Robert and Howison, James and Huff, Kathryn and Jay, Caroline and Katz, Daniel S. and Kirchner, Claude and Kuksenok, Katie and L\"{a}mmel, Ralf and Nierstrasz, Oscar and Turk, Matt and van Nieuwpoort, Rob and Vaughn, Matthew and Vinju, Jurgen J.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagMan.6.1.1},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-71468},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagMan.6.1.1},
  annote =	{Keywords: Academic software, Research software, Software citation, Software sustainability}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/DagSemProc.10291.5
Challenges in preservation (planning)

Authors: Christoph Becker

Published in: Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 10291, Automation in Digital Preservation (2010)

Abstract
This short paper attempts to highlight some challenges to be tackled by DP research in the next years, taking as a starting point the perspective of preservation planning. These challenges are in short: (1) Scalability (up and down) requiring (2) measurement of relevant decision factors, in turn requiring (3) benchmarking and ground truth. (4) Quality-aware emulation. (5) Move from the current closed-systems approach to open structures that accomodate evolving knowledge. (6) Move from post-obsolescence actions to 'longevity engineering'.
Cite as

Christoph Becker. Challenges in preservation (planning). In Automation in Digital Preservation. Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings, Volume 10291, pp. 1-5, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2010)

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@InProceedings{becker:DagSemProc.10291.5,
  author =	{Becker, Christoph},
  title =	{{Challenges in preservation (planning)}},
  booktitle =	{Automation in Digital Preservation},
  pages =	{1--5},
  series =	{Dagstuhl Seminar Proceedings (DagSemProc)},
  ISSN =	{1862-4405},
  year =	{2010},
  volume =	{10291},
  editor =	{Jean-Pierre Chanod and Milena Dobreva and Andreas Rauber and Seamus Ross},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/DagSemProc.10291.5},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-27689},
  doi =		{10.4230/DagSemProc.10291.5},
  annote =	{Keywords: Preservation planning, software engineering, scalability, measurements, benchmarking, ground truth, longevity}
}
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