What did you do about climate change Mum?

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7554.0-f

BMJ 2006;332 (10 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7554.0-f

Editor's choice

What did you do about climate change Mum?

Ignorance is bliss. Sadly, when it comes to climate change weno longer have the luxury of ignorance. We know that the worldis getting hotter and that carbon emissions are almost certainlyto blame. We know that global warming means rising sea levels,floods, droughts, storms, and inconceivably large numbers ofdisplaced people. We know that these changes are likely overthe next few decades and have huge implications for human health.More importantly we know that there are things we can do, individuallyand collectively, nationally and internationally (p 1397). Knowingthis means that we must act now if we are to look our childrenin the eye. Doctors carry special responsibility as influentialpeople committed to preserving health. As Anna Coote and LynnEaton point out (pp 1343, 1389), doctors also collectively managevast resources, with the potential to do great harm environmentally—orgreat good.

So here's a new competition. It's one you can all join in. Indeed,if Robin Stott and Mayer Hillman are right about carbon rationing(pp 1385, 1387), soon you will have no choice but to join in.It's called "How low can you go with carbon emissions?" I'vejust calculated my carbon footprint using Hillman's questionnaire(p 1388). It's not good: 10.5 tonnes a year just for personaluse—more than double the UK average. And this doesn'tinclude the 22 tonnes a year from the air and train travel Ido for work. The only good thing is that there's room for improvement.You can see what I and other BMJ staff are doing to cut ouremissions in our carbon blog on bmj.com. To add your own carbonstories, send a rapid response; we'll collect the best togetherin the journal. And there will be three prizes to be won atthe end of the year: for the BMJ subscriber with the lowestpersonal carbon footprint (£500) and for the primary andsecondary care providers internationally with the lowest carbonfootprint per patient (£2000 each). More details of thecompetition will appear soon on bmj.com.

Climate change is an evolving challenge, so the BMJ is recruitinga Carbon Council: a virtual international group whose job willbe to encourage us and advise us on what we should do both asa journal (should we ask authors for a carbon footprint forevery paper we publish and to say what the climatological aswell as the clinical and financial implications of their workare?) and as a business (video conferencing to minimise travelling,but what about offsetting emissions by planting trees: is thisjust a salve to our consciences or does it really make a difference?)If you'd like to apply to join our carbon council, email editor{at}bmj.com(put "Carbon Council" as the subject) by 30 June with a CV anda letter explaining how you can help us. We'll post the listof members and their unfolding advice on bmj.com.

Fiona Godllee, editor

(fgodlee{at}bmj.com)

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Relevant Articles

What’s your carbon reduction strategy?: Fiona Godlee
BMJ 2009 338: b1272. [Extract] [Full Text]

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Rapid Responses:

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global warming: peter l loveridge
bmj.com, 9 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Are you serious, Mum?: Balaji Ravichandran
bmj.com, 9 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Climate Change and the BMA: John R Cherry
bmj.com, 10 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Please don't use plastic wrapping: Anoop D Shah
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MOM is throughly innocent herself let the child ask others such as ...: M.I Shaikh
bmj.com, 12 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Decline of a great medical journal: Nancy Reyes
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Better start doing something: I�igo Rom�n-Alonso
bmj.com, 12 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Dying throes: Hugh E Montgomery
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Climate change - let us work together to put the brakes on it: Arun Natarajan
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Editorial responsibility: Michael Goodyear
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What this Mum did for climate change!: Pip Hayes
bmj.com, 13 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Leadership by Doctors Urgently Required: Geoffrey J Barnes MFPH
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Re: Leadership by Doctors Urgently Required: John R Cherry
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Re: Climate change - let us work together to put the brakes on it: Stephen McG Barratt
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Re: What did you do about climate change: David Bossano
bmj.com, 15 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Re: Re: Leadership by Doctors Urgently Required: Geoffrey J Barnes
bmj.com, 16 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Reduce population to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.: David Carr
bmj.com, 16 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Keep it up BMJ: Ahmad A. Sabri, et al.
bmj.com, 16 Jun 2006 [Full text]
No more excuses: Simon Gates
bmj.com, 16 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Practice what you preach: Vadivelu Saravanan
bmj.com, 17 Jun 2006 [Full text]
Climate change: a manifesto for public health professionals: Alison Hill, et al.
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Carbon Columns in the Atmosphere- Availability and Useage: John R Moloney, et al.
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