Doctors call on health organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

In a new commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine, authors from Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Case Western Reserve University propose strategies for health care organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and outline potential strategy trade-offs to achieve this goal. They say healthcare has a moral imperative to reduce its emissions and environmental impact, and to force the transformation of all the other sectors it touches.

The healthcare industry is directly affected by and contributes to climate change. Extreme temperatures, forest fires and natural disasters, as well as the expansion of the range of infectious diseases, all have an impact on the health of people around the world. The global healthcare industry also leaves a significant environmental footprint, with healthcare being the fifth largest source of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Currently, there is no mandate forcing these organizations to prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In their call to action, the authors outline three broad areas for understanding the sources and magnitude of health care GHG emissions: direct emissions from health care organizations; indirect emissions of energy and utility providers; and supply chain and other emissions. The authors then argue that short-term investments in more expensive but sustainable healthcare infrastructure are often smart and profitable in the long run. They also call on healthcare stakeholders, policy makers and clinicians to implement high-level changes to make healthcare more sustainable.

They advise that security health care for all will not succeed without eliminating the twin risks of environmental pollution and environmental disasters secondary to climate change.