The medical conference – is there a better way?

The Climate Emergency is one of the foremost challenges of the 21st century. One of the areas in which the medical profession has been slow to adapt has been in the conduct of conferences. The most significant environmental cost arises from the travel of delegates to the conference venue, often via short or long-haul flight. Ways to address this may include more environmentally conscious location-choice, allowing for more sustainable modes of transport to and from the venue, ‘hub and spoke’ model international conferences, and increased use of virtual teleconferencing or ‘hybrid’ models. The environmental impact of catering, single use consumables, merchandise etc. all needs to be considered and addressed. Carbon offsetting via the purchase of carbon credits, or by other means, should be considered by all conference organisers. Although all measures to address climate change tend to be incremental, it is imperative that we as a profession act sooner rather than later.