New toolkit helps hospitals track emissions to protect health, reduce costs

Our communities once again experienced the health impacts of climate change in 2018, including increases in heat-related illness, asthma and respiratory illness, as well as injuries and premature deaths from extreme weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes. There’s been no shortage of reports warning of the health impacts of climate change: The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a sobering report in September detailing the dramatic effects of climate change and the immediate steps we need to take to make progress on limiting warming in the future, the Fourth National Climate Assessment was released in November, and the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate U.S. Brief was also just released at the end of November.

These reports underscore the urgency of hospitals doing their part to reduce emissions to protect the health of their patients and communities. To support this vital work, Practice Greenhealth developed a new toolkit, designed to help hospitals understand how to track greenhouse gas emissions, set goals, and make progress toward reduction. The toolkit is free for Practice Greenhealth members.

Read the executive summary to begin 2019 with the tools necessary to take action on climate at your hospital or health system.