CHICAGO -- Global warming's effect on medical imaging will only increase, and the pursuit of strategies to reduce imaging energy use and waste is crucial, according to research presented December 1 at the RSNA meeting.
In a scientific session dedicated to the topic of sustainability in radiology, keynote speaker Geraldine McGinty, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, set the context for studies that explored how to mitigate the impacts of climate change, urging attendees to persevere.
Geraldine McGinty, MD.
"If we're not seeing global policy initiatives needed to manage the impacts of climate change, it's absolutely within our power as individuals to come together and make a difference," she said.
McGinty underscored efforts made by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the European Society of Radiology (ESR) to set direction regarding radiology and climate change, noting ACR's Resolution 14, which calls for making radiology more climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable, and the 2025 European Congress of Radiology meeting's focus on sustainable imaging -- which was set by ESR Board of Directors Chair Andrea Rockall, MD, of Imperial College London. McGinty also cited a position paper published in September in Radiology that brought multiple radiology societies together.
Radiologists must understand how policy decisions are being made and who is making them, she said. She stressed that the work of establishing sustainable medical imaging is an ongoing pursuit.
"How do we drive change? Find our communities, figure out where decisions are made locally, nationally, and globally -- and get into those rooms -- and repeat [our efforts]," she said. "This is not a 'one and done' -- successful initiatives are not [necessarily] led from the top down, but by people coming together over shared values."
Later in the session, presenter Catalina Ramirez, MD, of Valparaiso University in Chile, offered ideas about how to measure a radiology department's carbon footprint -- and then take action to reduce negative effects.
Ramirez's team conducted a study that used data collected between January and December 2024 to measure the radiology department's carbon footprint at Dr. Gustavo Fricke Hospital in Viña del Mar, Chile. The group assessed indirect emissions defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and included Scope 2 and 3 variables such as electricity consumption, medical supplies -- including contrast agents -- staff commuting, and special waste (sharps, cultures and samples, pathology specimens, and blood/blood products). It quantified emissions in metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tons CO₂eq).
Ramirez and colleagues found that the radiology department's carbon footprint represented 24% of the total footprint of the hospital. They also reported the following:
- Total emissions for the study time period were 1,367.4 tons CO₂eq.
- The main contributors of these emissions were special waste (717.7 tons CO₂eq, 51%); medical supplies (431.5 tons CO₂eq, 31%); electricity consumption (214.7 tons CO₂eq, 15%); and staff commuting (40.7 tons CO₂eq, 3%).
- More than 50% of the department's energy consumption consisted of use of MRI and CT scanners.
Ramirez urged radiology departments to take action to reduce their carbon footprint by conducting similar assessments and offering residents sustainability training to "equip future radiologists to reduce radiology's footprint, align practice with public health goals, and lead efforts against climate change and environmental degradation."
"Identifying key contributors to a department's carbon footprint allows for targeted interventions, workflow optimization, and efficient resource allocation," she concluded.
For full coverage of RSNA 2025, visit our RADCast.
