Doctors Warn Healthcare Sector's Emissions and Waste Threaten Public Health

The healthcare sector is facing increasing scrutiny over its significant carbon footprint and waste generation, with doctors warning that these issues pose a serious threat to public health. Hospitals and medical facilities are responsible for generating large amounts of single-use plastic and medical waste, with the sector's carbon emissions being twice that of the aviation industry.

Dr. Samantha Ahdoot, a pediatrician, realized the impact of climate change on her son's health during a heatwave in 2011. This experience led her to become an advocate for addressing the healthcare sector's environmental impact. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also updated its policy statement on climate change, urging pediatricians to discuss the issue with their patients and families.

However, healthcare providers face practical obstacles in addressing climate change, such as limited time during patient visits and the need to prioritize other pressing health concerns. Marginalized communities are particularly vulnerable, as families in these areas often have to deal with multiple systemic problems that take precedence over environmental health discussions.

Why this matters: The healthcare sector's carbon emissions and waste generation have far-reaching consequences for public health, particularly in marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Addressing this issue requires a concerted effort from healthcare providers, policymakers, and the industry as a whole to reduce the sector's environmental impact and protect the health of current and future generations.

To tackle this problem, healthcare professionals are implementing strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle resources. This includes improving diagnostic skills to minimize unnecessary testing, transitioning to a more digitally-enabled healthcare system, reusing medical devices, and recycling items such as asthma inhalers. Emergency departments in the UK and Australia have already seen success in reducing their plastic glove usage by 30% and cutting unnecessary testing by a third.

Healthcare systems are also working to decarbonize by transitioning to renewable energy, reducing waste, and limiting business travel. The most pressing issue is the need to rapidly move away from fossil fuels, which account for three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to air and chemical pollution that cause serious illnesses and deaths.

Examples from around the world demonstrate that climate mitigation actions can have substantial health benefits across different sectors. New Zealand's Model Communities Programme promoted cycling and walking, reducing CO2 emissions and providing health benefits that outweighed the cost of the investment. In the US, increased use of renewable energy has reduced CO2 emissions and air pollution-related deaths and hospitalizations, providing economic benefits as well.

Key Takeaways

• Healthcare sector's carbon emissions twice that of aviation, posing public health threat
• Pediatricians advocate addressing healthcare's environmental impact, urge patient discussions
• Strategies to reduce, reuse, recycle resources can cut emissions, waste, and unnecessary testing
• Transitioning to renewable energy, reducing waste, and limiting travel can decarbonize healthcare
• Climate mitigation actions in healthcare can provide substantial health and economic benefits