Source: Health Care Without Harm – Europe

According to a factsheet released by Health Care Without Harm – Europe, improving energy efficiency is one of the most cost effective and simplest ways for the health care sector to reduce costs whilst improving both human and environmental health through reduced emissions and better air quality. The factsheet shows how low-cost behavior change programs can simultaneously increase energy efficiency and improve the quality of patient care in health care facilities.

The health effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent – more frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, fires, floods, and storms are leading to direct loss of life, malnutrition due to crop failure, and altered infectious disease patterns due to water and vector-borne disease. Air pollution is also contributing significantly to heart disease, stroke, and respiratory disease worldwide.

The health care sector, however, whose mission it is to protect health, is a major contributor to climate change and air pollution. A new study published by The Lancet Planetary Health shows that the health care sector accounts for 7% of Australia’s CO₂e emissions (CO₂ equivalent refers to a combination of harmful greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide), with hospitals and pharmaceuticals making up most of this.