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Letters to the Editor|Articles in Press

Letter to the Editor: Radiology Action for Climate Change

      A growing group of radiologists is urging radiology society leaders to consider the environmental impact of our professional development activities, and more specifically, the impact of in-person annual meetings on global health. The World Health Organization estimates that over 250,000 excess deaths per year will result from the health-related effects of climate change, although actual numbers may be much higher due to indirect effects (
      • Watts N.
      • Amann M.
      • Arnell N.
      • et al.
      The 2018 report of the Lancet countdown on health and climate change: shaping the health of nations for centuries to come.
      ,

      Climate change and health. World Health Organization. World Health Organization; 2021 [cited 2023 Mar 13]. Available at: 〈https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health〉.

      ). This will be the most devastating to vulnerable communities that have the fewest resources to recover from such climate related hazards as heatwaves, wildfires, poor air quality, rising sea levels, and pandemics.
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      REFERENCES

        • Watts N.
        • Amann M.
        • Arnell N.
        • et al.
        The 2018 report of the Lancet countdown on health and climate change: shaping the health of nations for centuries to come.
        Lancet. 2018; 392: 2479-2514
      1. Climate change and health. World Health Organization. World Health Organization; 2021 [cited 2023 Mar 13]. Available at: 〈https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health〉.

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        • et al.
        Quantifying the climate benefits of a virtual versus an in-person format for an international conference.
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      2. Foundation myclimate, Zurich, Switzerland. 〈https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=5582550〉. Accessed March 2023.

      3. Saving Nature, Durham, NC. 〈https://savingnature.com/flight-emissions-calculator/〉. Accessed March 2023.

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        Approaches to greening radiology.
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        Carbon footprint of the RSNA annual meeting.
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      4. United Nations. (2023 March 20). Secretary-general calls on states to tackle climate change ‘Time Bomb’ through new solidarity pact, acceleration agenda, at launch of intergovernmental panel report [Press Release]. 〈https://press.un.org/en/2023/sgsm21730.doc.htm〉, Accessed April 2023.

      5. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations (2023). Sixth Assessment Report. IPCC. 〈https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/〉, Accessed April 2023.