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Health systems have an important responsibility to address and respond to the accelerating impact of climate change on clinical care, worker health, and environmental sustainability. A special editorial in the December issue of the
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine presents practical strategies drawn from the inaugural Health Systems Implementing Climate Action Conference.
The accelerating climate crisis poses a "critical threat" to health systems and the populations they serve, according to the report by Sara Locke, BA, of Yale School of Medicine and colleagues. They summarize key takeaways from expert presentations at the 2024 conference, addressing critical areas such as:
- Healthcare infrastructure. Health systems must work toward becoming more sustainable, "investing in resilient infrastructure to withstand climate impacts and increase energy independence."
- Managing healthcare risks. Insurers will play a critical role in researching and mitigating the health effects of climate change. Innovative insurance products are needed to "maintain actuarial soundness as well as access and affordability."
- Clinical workforce. Investments in clinician well-being and training are essential to "prepare healthcare workers to address climate-related health impacts, promote sustainable professional practices, and advance public policy."
- Catalysts for change. Public-private and government collaboration are essential to "coordinate and synergize" research efforts on climate and health, as well as healthcare services research on adaptation and mitigation. Accounting and Oversight. Standardized and transparent reporting is needed to prevent "greenwashing"—false or misleading statements about the environmental impact of products or practices.
- Sustainable solutions in care delivery. Presenters emphasize the need for innovative and creative approaches to sustainable healthcare delivery, including efforts at "health promotion, disease prevention, resource stewardship, and environmentally preferable practices."
Addressing the impact of global climate change on chronically underfunded health systems around the world is another critical area of focus. "Adaptation, not just mitigation, must be an immediate health priority," Ms. Locke and colleagues write.
Co-hosted by the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and The New York Academy of Medicine, the annual
Health Systems Implementing Climate Action conference seeks to share new research and practice on "actionable and scalable solutions" to the challenges of building sustainable health systems.
"Responding to the climate crisis is not merely an environmental imperative but a fundamental aspect of fulfilling healthcare's mission to protect and improve human health," Ms. Locke and coauthors conclude. "The path to achieving sustainable healthcare systems demands robust, cross-sectoral collaboration and broad commitment to continuous quality improvement, health equity, and environmental accountability."