Climate and health

Scientific consensus shows climate change is already damaging human health and health care delivery and will have a greater impact in the future. Health care is at the front line of climate change, bearing the costs of increased diseases and more frequent extreme weather events.

Hospitals and health systems are addressing health threats posed by climate change and air pollution, in alignment with their missions to heal. Many are doing so by implementing business-smart initiatives that also protect their communities from climate change by:

• Reducing the carbon footprint of hospital operations.
• Preparing facilities for climate impacts and helping to build community resilience so people can get the health care they need during extreme weather events.
• Using their trusted voices to educate patients, staff, and communities on the connections between climate change and human health.

Practice Greenhealth has developed climate and health tools and resources to help members set goals and implement strategies to reduce their climate impacts, ensure continuity of care in extreme weather events, and protect community health and well-being.

Health Care Without Harm’s Climate and Health program supports the health care sector in reducing its carbon footprint, building climate-smart and resilient hospitals and communities, and mobilizing health care’s influence to advance the transition to a low-carbon future.

The Health Care Climate Challenge mobilizes health care institutions around the globe to protect public health from climate change. Sign the Health Care Climate Challenge pledge and join the climate-smart health care movement.

Established by Health Care Without Harm, the Health Care Climate Council is a leadership network of U.S. hospitals committed to strengthening the health sector’s response to climate change.