Climate change mitigation and healthcare sector sustainability

Human activities have resulted in global warming at a rate not seen in at least 2,000 years, leading to changes in precipitation, loss of glaciers and sea ice, temperature extremes, and other climate-related disasters. Such changes are affecting human health and society, with impacts on non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, injuries, deaths and displacement. The health sector responses necessary to minimise the health impacts of climate change involve reducing the health sector’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate-related risks. In this chapter, health’s contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is explored. First, the decarbonisation of the healthcare sector is examined. Healthcare is estimated to contribute 5.2 per cent of total global emissions, much of which comes from pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, and other supply chains. Pressurised metered dose inhalers and the anaesthetic gas desflurane, also contribute substantially and so too does healthcare waste disposal. This chapter also explores the fossil fuel divestment movement and the progress seen with health institutions removing investments from fossil fuels. After several major wins in the previous decade, it appears that progress on health sector divestment has slowed in the 2020s. Nevertheless, fossil fuel divestment presents a relatively simple and ‘no regrets’ action to tackle climate change.