NEW RESEARCH ON DECARBONIZING HEALTHCARE NOW OUT

I recently participated in a research project as a key contributor. This research project was looking at new ways of decarbonizing health care and here is the introduction to the paper.

“About this paper : “The impact of climate change on health is now broadly recognised, with experts calling it both a public health and an equity crisis, as it disproportionately affects people living in low- and middle-income countries and exacerbates existing socioeconomic inequalities.1 The healthcare sector is vulnerable to climate change, but it is also a significant contributor – it produces almost 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.2 With this in mind, over 50 countries around the world have pledged to decarbonise and improve the climate resilience of their health systems. Efforts to decarbonize health systems require an integrated vision for sustainability, always ensuring that the quality of patient care is not compromised and that resources are used as efficiently as possible in any proposed strategies. The resilience of health systems needs to be improved to protect care delivery from the impact of climate change. Urban healthcare settings may be a logical starting point for action. Cities offer the opportunity for concerted action on decarbonization, as they are places where health, transport, housing, urban planning and other sectors intersect. This discussion paper explores these themes. It is based on initial findings from a structured literature review and will be developed into a more in-depth policy paper, supported by insights from a multidisciplinary panel of experts. The policy paper will be published later in 2022.”