The effect of human habitation on the environment of our small planet has become a major topic of discussion in the public media, schools, and governmental organizations. Recent comments, a film, and a book by former Vice-President Al Gore, have focused attention on the human element in global warming, making it an issue of major importance worldwide. Most authorities agree that human production of carbon dioxide for the nutritional and energy needs of the billions of individuals inhabiting the earth, and the subsequent release of this CO2 into the atmosphere, are contributing factors to the accelerating rate of global warming. Although debate continues concerning exactly what percentage of global warming is the result of human activity, major efforts are underway to decrease the global output of carbon dioxide from various sources.
The color green has become associated with approaches that are aimed at reducing the impact of large scale human habitation on our global environment. The American Journal of Medicine has been called “The Green Journal” since its inception more than 50 years ago, so it seems appropriate to ask ourselves “How green are we?,” that is, what efforts, as journal editors and publishers, are we making in order to minimize the impact of our own operations on the environment? Our Tucson office, as well as the Elsevier corporate offices in New York City, recently examined how we are working to minimize our carbon footprint.
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— Joseph S. Alpert, MD
This article was originally published in the Spetember 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
