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The climate crisis is a health crisis
The climate and ecological crisis is a health crisis. If healthcare were a country, it would be the fifth largest global emitter in the world. Research has shown that sustainable healthcare directly correlates to better health, social and financial outcomes.
There is reason to hope that we have not left it too late, that we can make all the urgent actions needed to stop the decline and that the reward will be living healthier lives. The greatest success of humankind could be keeping the planet in good health.
What’s it got to do with health?
What has the NHS got to do with the climate and ecological crisis?
Planetary health underpins all the social and environmental determinants of health. Healthcare is both affected by the climate emergency and contributes to exacerbating it. The Lancet states the response to climate change is “the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.”
The NHS
The NHS contributes 4-5% of the UK’s carbon emissions. In October 2020, Greener NHS launched the “Delivering a Net Zero Health Service” report to become the world’s first health service committing to reaching carbon net zero.
Greener NHS: Sources of
carbon emissions by
proportion of NHS
Carbon Footprint Plus
Health benefits
Action on climate will be beneficial for populations and improve health now. As described in the diagram from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare there are a multitude of benefits when making change e.g. increasing active travel improves air quality.
Health Equity
The climate crisis disproportionately affects the poorest in society despite contributing least to the problem. Health equity and climate health are closely linked because many of the drivers of climate change are also the drivers of ill health and health inequalities.
Mitigation
Acting on climate protects future health through mitigating both the physical health and the mental health effects of extreme weather events, heat stress, vector-borne disease, food shortage, air and water quality.
Benefits for you
Taking action can improve workload and staff morale through being part of positive change. At a local level it can also improve costs through improved patient health, reduced prescribing/procurement costs, reduced energy use.
Primary care carbon footprint
Primary care contributes around 20% of all NHS greenhouse emissions with prescribing making up the largest carbon footprint in primary care. Other notable hotspots of GP emissions include over-investigation, overtreatment, waste, and travel. Our project and resources libraries have lots of information to help address the hotspots in primary care. Our Clinical and Non Clinical Special interest groups also have more information.
Greener NHS: Sources of carbon
emissions by activity type
and setting of care