Health Affairs July 25, 2024
Despite its pledge to “do no harm,” health care contributes 8.5 percent of the United States’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which exacerbate climate change—the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. The US health care system’s emissions dwarf those of other developed countries, most of which have already implemented a price on carbon. An upstream, steadily increasing US carbon (polluter’s) fee would greatly aid efforts to decarbonize the health sector, incentivizing the shift to products and services with lower GHG emissions.
The global health care carbon footprint could triple by 2050, leading to overwhelming health effects and stressing the capacities of health care facilities. Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to pollution-related illnesses, resulting in 470,000 disability-adjusted life-years lost each year....
Today's Sponsors
Today's Sponsor