Science & Research | July 9th, 2026

Travel Green to CEPAS 2026 in Lyon - An initiative by the ESPR Special Interest Group (SIG) Planetary Health

Nice to meet you! We are the Special Interest Group (SIG) Planetary Health. We are part of the Epidemiology Section of the European Society for Pediatric Research (ESPR).
As healthcare professionals and researchers, we must take responsibility for our young patients' futures. Supporting research and education on the influence of climate change on child health, and giving this vital topic a voice, are the SIG planetary health group's big aims. We also support research on the influence of the health sector on global warming and the possibilities to reduce the CO2 footprint of pediatric health care.

The CEPAS Congress is fast approaching. It's time to start thinking about how you'll get there! Lyon is a city with excellent connections to the European rail network.

Taking the train is a great sustainable alternative to flying, since traveling by plane contributes significantly to the carbon footprint of a medical conference by about 30-70%. (1).

Did you know that CO2 emissions differ quite a bit between a flight and a train ride?

Here are a few examples:
Frankfurt- Lyon
~ 5kg CO2 by train vs. ~ 131kg CO2 by plane

London- Lyon
~ 6kg CO2 by train vs. ~ 147 kg CO2 by plane

Amsterdam- Lyon
~ 5kg CO2 by train vs. ~ 141kg CO2 by plane

Check our interactive route map to see if there's a train connection for you and your colleagues. Choose a sustainable way to travel today.

Here, researchers from the ESPR community also share their experiences traveling sustainably to the ESPR Congress 2024 in Vienna:
Traveling sustainably to and from the ESPR Congress Vienna- a pediatric researcher's experience
Marie-Louise Herrmann , Mark Hayden, Jasper V Been , Suzan C M Cochius-den Otter, PMID: 40610710 , DOI: 10.1038/s41390-025-04231-6
See for yourself!

1. Bousema, T. et al. Reducing the carbon footprint of academic conferences: the example of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg.103, 1758–1761 (2020).