If the global healthcare sector were a country it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet, according to Health Care’s Climate Footprint, a report by Health Care Without Harm, in collaboration with Arup. This is due to the sector’s energy consumption, food production, use of anaesthetic gases, and transportation, all of which are carbon-intensive.

By being a major contributor to climate change, the healthcare sector is part of the problem. But it also stands to be a victim.

The public health community has dubbed climate change as the greatest threat to public health in the 21st century¹. Health costs generated by climate change and pollution are estimated to be US$820 billion a year, according to a recent report². Climate change is making the planet warmer, increasing the risk of wildfires, rising sea levels, extreme heat and other severe weather, air pollution, and droughts.

It is clear that these factors will have a direct impact on health. For example, smoke from fires and higher pollen counts (caused by warmer temperatures) can lead to respiratory disease or exacerbate asthma. Moreover, severe weather — including extreme heat and droughts — can increase the risk of heat-induced illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and heatstroke. Climate change is now evident on every continent. More than one-third of global heat-related deaths can be attributed to climate change, according to a recent study³. Climate change will likely force millions of people to migrate, which could lead to more mental health issues and put further stress on healthcare infrastructures.⁴

The risk is that the burden on the healthcare industry increases further as global temperatures rise, thereby increasing its own greenhouse gas emissions.
The good news is that solutions are emerging as healthcare professionals rise to this new leadership challenge. We see three main areas of intervention for climate change: Adaptation, Mitigation and Innovation.

Reducing Co2 emissions are one of the most recognisable and pressing sustainability challenge.There are several contributors to Co2 emissions across the healthcare value chain and using the the Scope1, Scope2 and Scope3 emissions framework can help to identify them. This s requires the need to have transparency across your entire value chain and the ability to think in terms of systems. Reducing emissions is a challenge for leadership and necessitates being open to game-changing partnerships.

Leaders in healthcare need to show courage and vision. New competences, such as reorganising systems and establishing new stakeholder relationships, are becoming increasingly important to successfully manage the transition to a more sustainable world.

¹ The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, The Lancet, December 8, 2018
² Report: Health Costs from Climate Change and Fossil Fuel Pollution Tops $820 Billion a Year, Natural Resources Defense Council, May 20, 2021
³ The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change, Nature Climate Change, May 2021
⁴ Planetary Health: Protecting nature to protect ourselves, Island Press, August 2020

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