1.2.2 The provision of healthcare

The provision of healthcare is, in itself, costly in terms of the climate damage it creates. On a global scale, if healthcare were a country, it would rank 5th in terms of carbon emissions (Benjamin, 2022). In England, the National Health Service (NHS) is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions, having a greater annual impact than all the passenger planes taking off from London Heathrow airport (Royal College of Physicians, 2017).

Change is needed. Some changes, which involve little cost or inconvenience, such as moving asthmatic patients to low-carbon inhalers or using lower-carbon anaesthetic gases, can be implemented quickly (Bhopal and Norheim, 2021). Other changes are more challenging to implement, especially when they require a shift in professionals’ accepted ways of doing things or changes in people’s behaviour to prevent illness. Additionally, actions to address climate change can have positive implications for health. This is also true at the individual level. For example:

• Eating less meat and more locally grown, plant-based foods reduce carbon emissions as well as the risk of obesity, heart disease and bowel cancer.
• Walking and cycling instead of using the car reduces carbon emissions as well as the risk of obesity, heart disease and depression.
• Spending time in nature can help people value the environment, while also supporting mental health.

And yet, many people do not grasp the significance of the link between climate and health, including healthcare educators.