Momentum builds for health-care climate action.

The health-care sector is a leading climate polluter, with health care's climate footprint increasing from 4·4% of net global emissions in 2014 to 5·2% in 2019. 1 Karliner J Slotterback S Boyd R Ashby B Steele K Health care's climate footprint: how the health sector contributes to the global climate crisis and opportunities for action. Health Care Without Harm Climate-Smart Health Care Series Green Paper Number One. https://healthcareclimateaction.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/HealthCaresClimateFootprint_092319.pdfDate: 2019 Date accessed: May 5, 2023 Google Scholar , 2 Pichler PP Jaccard IS Weisz U Weisz H International comparison of health care carbon footprints. Environ Res Letters. 2019; 14064004 Crossref Scopus (186) Google Scholar , 3 Romanello M Di Napoli C Drummond P et al. The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels. Lancet. 2022; 400: 1619-1654 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (91) Google Scholar Without action, health-care emissions could triple by 2050. 4 Karliner J Roschnik S Boyd R Ashby B Steele K Global road map for health care decarbonization: a navigational tool for achieving zero emissions with climate resilience and health equity. Health Care Without Harm Climate-Smart Health Care Series Green Paper Number Two. https://healthcareclimateaction.org/sites/default/files/2021-08/Global%20Road%20Map%20for%20Health%20Care%20Decarbonization.pdfDate: 2021 Date accessed: May 5, 2023 Google Scholar As the sector grows to meet health needs, this growth must be delinked from contributions to climate pollution so that the health-care sector can reach net zero emissions in alignment with the Paris Agreement. 5 UN Climate ChangeThe Paris Agreement. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreementDate accessed: May 23, 2023 Google Scholar