The carbon footprint of Australian health care

Malik, Arunima; Lenzen, Manfred; McAlister, Scott; McGain, Forbes

doi:10.1016/s2542-5196(17)30180-8

Cited by 364 publications

(362 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…(). To our knowledge, large‐scale healthcare “footprinting” studies have only been conducted for a limited number of developed countries—the United States (Eckelman & Sherman, ), the United Kingdom (NHS Sustainable Development Unit, ), Australia (Malik et al., ), and Canada (Eckelman et al., )—and are often limited to “carbon footprints” rather than a wide range of environmental impact categories. It would be valuable to conduct similar studies in other parts of the world (e.g., in the EU, Japan, and developing countries), to broaden the scope of sustainability aspects addressed (including “inside‐out” and “outside‐in” impacts), and to update the analyses as new data become available.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Healthcare is a critical service sector, typically representing a large portion of spending in developed economies, with a sizable environmental footprint from both direct activities and the indirect emissions of related products and infrastructure. The combined direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from healthcare have been estimated at 10% of the national total in the United States (Eckelman & Sherman, ), 7% in Australia (Malik, Lenzen, McAlister, & McGain, ), 5% in the United Kingdom (NHS Sustainable Development Unit, ), and 4.6% in Canada (Eckelman, Sherman, & MacNeill, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Potential for industrial ecology to support healthcare sustainability: Scoping review of a fragmented literature and conceptual framework for future research

Cimprich

Santillán‐Saldivar

Thiel

et al. 2019

J of Industrial Ecology

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Summary Healthcare is a critical service sector with a sizable environmental footprint from both direct activities and the indirect emissions of related products and infrastructure. As in all other sectors, the “inside‐out” environmental impacts of healthcare (e.g., from greenhouse gas emissions, smog‐forming emissions, and acidifying emissions) are harmful to public health. The environmental footprint of healthcare is subject to upward pressure from several factors, including the expansion of healthcare services in developing economies, global population growth, and aging demographics. These factors are compounded by the deployment of increasingly sophisticated medical procedures, equipment, and technologies that are energy‐ and resource‐intensive. From an “outside‐in” perspective, on the other hand, healthcare systems are increasingly susceptible to the effects of climate change, limited resource access, and other external influences. We conducted a comprehensive scoping review of the existing literature on environmental issues and other sustainability aspects in healthcare, based on a representative sample from over 1,700 articles published between 1987 and 2017. To guide our review of this fragmented literature, and to build a conceptual foundation for future research, we developed an industrial ecology framework for healthcare sustainability. Our framework conceptualizes the healthcare sector as comprising “foreground systems” of healthcare service delivery that are dependent on “background product systems.” By mapping the existing literature onto our framework, we highlight largely untapped opportunities for the industrial ecology community to use “top‐down” and “bottom‐up” approaches to build an evidence base for healthcare sustainability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential for industrial ecology to support healthcare sustainability: Scoping review of a fragmented literature and conceptual framework for future research

Cimprich

Santillán‐Saldivar

Thiel

et al. 2019

J of Industrial Ecology

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“…published the first assessment of the Australian health system's carbon footprint. It is 7% of our total national emissions, the same as the entire emissions of the state of South Australia . Notably, the carbon pollution generated by the Australian health system in 2014–2015 (~36 MtCO 2 e) is more than 50% greater than that of the NHS in 2015 (~23MtCO 2 e), despite England having more than twice the population of Australia.…”

Section: Carbon Accountingmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The reasons for this have not been fully explored but may relate to methodological issues, geographical differences and the largely carbon‐based sources of Australia's energy. Of the Australian health system's carbon footprint, about half is from hospitals, and nearly 20% is from pharmaceuticals . At meetings, people were galvanised by this evidence of the carbon intensity of Australian healthcare.…”

Section: Carbon Accountingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change is a health issue: what can doctors do?

Sainsbury

Charlesworth

Madden

et al. 2019

Internal Medicine Journal

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The visit to Australia by Dr David Pencheon, Founding Director of the National Health Service (NHS) Sustainable Development Unit, in April–May 2018 generated considerable interest and engagement. Dr Pencheon's overarching messages were that climate change is a health issue and that doctors and health systems have an opportunity, and responsibility, to lead climate action. This article distils Dr Pencheon's presentations into three themes: (i) carbon accounting; (ii) transformational change in our systems of healthcare; and (iii) a health system fit for the future. For each theme, we highlight promising initiatives that are already underway in Australia that are starting to transform our health system into one fit for a future environmentally sustainable world. We suggest practical ways in which doctors can lead the transformation through personal action and influence broader systems.

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“…After another Australian summer of record‐breaking temperatures, bushfires, floods and widespread drought, it is clear that our health systems should be strengthened to cope with the challenges of climate change. We must also reduce the carbon footprint of health care, and continue to advocate that Australia play its part in dealing with the fundamental causes of climate change. In May, the 21st biennial congress of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) will be hosted by Brisbane.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%