Dozens of countries promise to lower carbon intensity of health systems
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Forty-seven countries, including the United States, have committed to developing climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems. They announced their efforts during the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, also known as COP26.
“The future of health must be built on health systems that are resilient to the impacts of epidemics, pandemics and other emergencies, but also to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events and the increasing burden of various diseases related to air pollution and our warming planet,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, WHO director-general, said in a press release.
The new commitment will work to mitigate the carbon intensity of health care systems worldwide. The U.S. is the world’s greatest emitter of greenhouse gases from health care activities, according to a 2019 report from Health Care Without Harm and Arup, an engineering and consulting firm. China is the second-greatest emitter.
Through the COP26 Health Programme, all 47 countries will take “concrete steps towards creating climate-resilient health systems." The U.S. is among 42 countries that have also committed to achieving low-carbon, sustainable health systems, and 12 of these countries have set a goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, according to the release.
The COP26 Health Programme involves a partnership between WHO, the U.K. government, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Chance Climate Champions and other health groups, including Health Care Without Harm. During the initial stage of the program, countries will conduct climate change and health vulnerability assessments and develop national adaptation plans.
“These government commitments exemplify the growing global health movement for climate action,” Josh Karliner, international director of program and strategy at Health Care Without Harm, said in the release. “Around the world, doctors, nurses, hospitals, health systems and ministries of health are reducing their climate footprint, becoming more resilient and advocating for a just transition that puts health at the center of a decarbonized civilization.”
During the COP26 conference, Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD, the U.S. assistant secretary for health, said that the Biden administration “has set ambitious economy-wide targets for the nation, and through these commitments, the Department of Health and Human Services will partner with other federal agencies that manage health systems.”
References:
Countries commit to develop climate-smart health care at COP26 UN climate conference. https://www.who.int/news/item/09-11-2021-countries-commit-to-develop-climate-smart-health-care-at-cop26-un-climate-conference. Published Nov. 9, 2021. Accessed Nov. 9, 2021.
Health care’s climate footprint. https://noharm-uscanada.org/content/global/health-care-climate-footprint-report. Accessed Nov. 8, 2021.