Carbon footprint of air travel to international radiology conferences: FOMO?
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EDITORIAL
Carbon footprint of air travel to international radiology conferences: FOMO? Derya Yakar 1
&
Thomas C. Kwee 1
Received: 4 April 2020 / Revised: 26 April 2020 / Accepted: 27 May 2020 # European Society of Radiology 2020
The inconvenient truth is that climate change is no longer an activists’ subject only. As scientists and medical professionals, it is our duty to promote and protect health. The successes that we have booked in the development of global health over the last decades are now under threat due to climate change. Paradoxically enough, as promoters of health, we are part of the problem. Airplane travel is among the most polluting activities, and it is estimated that, considering the growth in demand, aviation will make up 22% of the global carbon budget [1]. Many scientists and medical professionals may be among the most frequent flyers due to traveling to international meetings [2]. The purpose of flying to these scientific meetings is plural and includes the opportunity to meet international colleagues for collaboration, present new scientific results, listen to highly renowned expert lecturers, or check out new medical imaging technologies. International conventions such as the RSNA and the ECR have been offering more online lectures and materials in the last couple of years. Despite the online availability of such materials, professionals in the field still attend these physical meetings in large numbers. Understanding why we all massively prefer being present is key to lowering the carbon footprint of these meetings. Furthermore, the fear of missing out (FOMO) is also a frequently heard reason to attend international conferences. Missing opportunities to collaborate or network for research purposes, publishing less frequently or in less high-impact journals, and diminished visibility are among these feared reasons [3]. In a recent study [4], the investigators have examined whether academic air travel has an influence on professional success. In a sample of 705
* Derya Yakar [email protected] 1
Medical Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
travelers, they investigated the influence of research productivity and other variables on academic air travel and the associated emissions. They found no relationship between air travel emissions and metrics of academic productivity including hIa (h-index adjusted for academic age and discipline) [4]. This is good news; it means that we can maintain a successful academic career while reducing our carbon footprint at the same time. Nonetheless, many would argue that corporeal proximity is essential for purposes such as international networking or maintaining interactivity during a workshop or training. However, we seriously need to ask ourselves at what cost? If by our actions we contribute, even in a very indirect manner, to undernutrition, malaria, coastal floods, diarrhea, heat st
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