Taking responsibility for the environmental impact of medical societies.

Abstract

It is well recognised that modern healthcare has an enormous carbon footprint that is contributing to the climate crisis. However, the contribution of medical societies and their associated activities is largely ignored. The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology and its Environmental Sustainability Committee (ESC) are taking action to mitigate their impact on climate change. This viewpoint describes actions taken since the formation of the ESC in 2017 and serves as encouragement for all medical societies to incorporate environmental sustainability into their everyday practice.