National Anesthesia Congress 2023 – Carbonic Footprint

Abstract

Climate change and its effects are now almost daily news, with a consensus in the scientific community that it results, to a large extent, from greenhouse gas emissions of anthropogenic origin. This reality has led to the implementation of various international agreements with a view to reducing those emissions. In this context, the Paris agreement, reached in 2015, deserves special mention, as it was the first, where long-term objectives were established to contain the increase in global average temperature to a maximum of 2°C. More recently, the EU's Energy-Climate Package for 2030 establishes, as a European objective, a reduction by 2030 of at least 40% of GHG (Green House Gas) emissions, compared to 1990. In 2019, EU (European Union) leaders endorsed the objective of achieving an EU neutral for the climate until 2050. In this context, the determination of the designated carbon footprint has become a natural instrument for assessing the emissions generated in the various activities carried out by man. This article refers to the assessment of the carbon footprint associated with the recent Congress of the Portuguese Society of Anesthesiology. The results obtained demonstrate the decisive role of the mobility of the congressmen (to, during and after the congress) in the global value obtained (17.5 ton CO_2e).