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According to a new study conducted by Healthcare Without Harm, if the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet. Not only are doctors, nurses and health facilities all first responders to the impacts of climate change, but hospitals and health care systems paradoxically make a major contribution to the climate crisis.
When we asked Josh Karliner,one of the report’s authors, what he found most surprising about the findings he responded by outlining the immense potential that the healthcare sector has to limit global emissions:
“For health care to reach net zero emissions by 2050 or before, we will need to decarbonize the global supply chain, which constitutes 71% of the sector’s climate footprint. This means that pharmaceuticals, medical devices and equipment will need to be produced with 100% renewable energy, that transportation of these goods will need to be based on fossil fuel-free technology, and more. Many hospitals and health systems around the world are beginning to develop procurement strategies that can help accelerate this transition by focusing on carbon reduction.”
While we’re still learning about the long terms damage caused by the novel coronavirus, we have enough evidence to show that some of the virus’ victims experience permanent lung damage. But for America’s coal miners, there’s a lung disease that most fear far more than coronavirus: black lung disease. Not only is black lung disease […]
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In Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent interview with In Style Magazine, he kept a diplomatic tone about how well the White House takes the hard truths he has to share about the COVID-19 pandemic. But what if we had an anger translator to tell us what cool, calm, collected Fauci ACTUALLY means? Sounds amazing, we nominate […]
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A new study published in the Journal Science yesterday found that the costs preventing pandemics using three conservation strategies are substantially less than the economic losses and mortality costs of responding to a global zoonotic virus once it occurs.
Why This Matters: As the study’s authors explain, the risks of zoonotic disease are higher than ever as increasingly intimate associations between humans and wildlife disease reservoirs accelerate the potential for viruses to spread globally.
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