7. Dialing Down the Heat on Healthcare’s Carbon Footprint in Sydney

It might seem paradoxical. The very industry dedicated to healing and promoting health is also a significant contributor to the climate crisis. If global health care was a country, it would be the world’s fifth largest carbon emitter. Jeffrey Braithwaite tells us about how health systems, hospitals, and clinicians in Australia are working to reduce their carbon footprint. Hear how making informed choices about tests, treatments, and procedures, and considering their environmental impact alongside their clinical effectiveness and cost is a vital part of this effort.References:Braithwaite J, Pichumani A, Crowley P. Tackling climate change: the pivotal role of clinicians. BMJ. 2023;382:e076963. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-076963.Braithwaite J, Smith CL, Leask E, et al. Strategies and tactics to reduce the impact of healthcare on climate change: systematic review. BMJ. 2024;387:e081284. doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-081284.Karliner J, Slotterback S, Boyd R, Ashby B, Steele K. Health Care’s Climate Footprint: How the Health Sector Contributes to the Global Climate Crisis and Opportunities for Action. Health Care Without Harm; September 2019. Accessed from HealthCaresClimateFootprint_092319.pdf.Health Care Without Harm. How the health sector contributes to the global climate crisis and opportunities for action. September 2019. https://global.noharm.org/focus/climate/health-care-climate-footprint-report