PD02-12 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL UROLOGY MEETINGS

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyEducation Research I (PD02)1 Sep 2021PD02-12 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL UROLOGY MEETINGS Sunil Patel, Kelsey Gallo, Russell Becker, and Stacy Loeb Sunil PatelSunil Patel More articles by this author , Kelsey GalloKelsey Gallo More articles by this author , Russell BeckerRussell Becker More articles by this author , and Stacy LoebStacy Loeb More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001966.12AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: During the coronavirus pandemic, many academic meetings that were previously held in-person were shifted to a virtual format. The objective of our study was to examine the potential environmental impact of reduced conference-related travel. METHODS: We obtained data from the largest global urological meetings, the American Urologic Association (AUA) and European Association of Urology (EAU), on the geographic distribution of participants to their respective 2019 meetings. Using an online calculator (https://co2.myclimate.org), we calculated the estimated total carbon emissions per person, and combined these numbers to estimate total carbon emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency calculator was used to estimate equivalency for these estimates (https://www.epa.gov/). Overland travel was accounted for the AUA meeting assuming 18% used overland travel based on percent of members being from the North Central Section. Similarly, for the EAU, a 400km radius in combination with population statistics, was used to account for overland travel. RESULTS: A total of 10,827 and 9,379 participants attended the AUA and EAU meetings, resulting in approximately 15,923 and 11,256 metric tons of carbon emissions, respectively. Attendees from Asia, South and North America for the AUA meeting contributed the greatest amount to these emissions, while Europeans contributed the greatest amount for the EAU meeting (Figure 1). The combined transportation-related emissions from these two conferences are equivalent to approximately 5872 passenger vehicles driven for one year, or the carbon dioxide emissions from 3.05 million gallons of gasoline consumed. Limitations of the study are the use of approximate locations within each continent (AUA) and country (EAU) for these estimates and that only travel-related carbon emissions for attendees were considered in the calculation, which do not include other factors such as climate control in the convention center, printed materials, catering services and accommodations. CONCLUSIONS: Going virtual for international meetings led to a substantial reduction in travel-related greenhouse gas emissions. A potential benefit of expanding virtual participation in urological meetings is reducing the environmental footprint from conference-related travel. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e42-e42 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Sunil Patel More articles by this author Kelsey Gallo More articles by this author Russell Becker More articles by this author Stacy Loeb More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...