The low carbon fruit tree for primary care
This narrative review discusses 19 initiatives that can be implemented into primary care practices to reduce GHG emissions and financial costs.
Articles
Check out interesting articles contributed to by Coalition team members!
Climate-resilient acute care clinical operations: A framework that informs how operations within acute care build climate-resilient health systems
New framework guides climate-resilient acute care in Canada, with Alberta’s experience as a case study to support adaptation and continuous learning.
A kilo for a tonne: the unmet need to address underuse in health care in a climate crisis
Addressing underuse in health care is key to sustainability—early, high-value care can cut carbon emissions and improve outcomes for patients and the planet.
Journey of a pill
This study depicts the estimated journey of a clonazepam pill’s production and distribution, with the prescription being filled in Vancouver, BC.
The environmental elephant in the office: medications
Primary care plays an integral role in the creation of a low-carbon health system, and the environmental consequences involved in medications is a prime example.
Why can’t we die at home? Expanding home care could reduce the financial and environmental cost of dying in hospital
Where would you like to be when you die? Seven out of eight people in Canada would choose to pass away at home where they and their loved ones would be more comfortable. And yet 56 per cent of people in Canada actually die in hospitals. If dying at home could be made more feasible and well resourced, … Read more
Getting serious about sustainability in dentistry
This paper explores how dentists can mitigate environmental impact through advocacy and actions, both professionally and personally.
The end-of-life care, environment and health system ‘polycrisis’ needs a new approach
Canada faces a “polycrisis” of interconnected economic, environmental, and social challenges. Addressing these requires coordinated policies that consider overlapping risks.
Bringing forests to the city: 10 ways planting trees improves health in urban centres
The article highlights the numerous health and environmental benefits of planting trees in urban areas. Trees help improve air quality, reduce heat island effects, and provide mental health benefits by creating greener, more serene environments.
Managing greenhouse gas emissions in the terminal year of life in an overwhelmed health system
This article investigates emissions related to health care in a patient’s last year of life. End of life is a period when health care use and associated emissions production increases exponentially.
Sustainable practice: Sustainable prescribing of iron replacement therapy
Clinicians can implement updated recommendations on dose and frequency of iron supplementation that can have benefits for patients and help mitigate environmental harms from health care practices.
A Canadian Health Sector Approach to Environmental Sustainability
This article sheds light on the Canadian health system’s interest in environmental sustainability and efforts to build a more climate-resilient health care system.
Carbon emissions associated with end-of-life care in the hospital setting
Healthcare contributes significantly to global warming and accounts for 4.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the end-of-life (EOL) period is characterized by disproportionately high hospital use, which is both emissions-intensive and often contrary to patients’ wishes to receive EOL care at home. In Canada, end-of-life hospitalization accounts for almost 6 million hospital days and … Read more
The Environmental Side Effects of Medications: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Psychiatry
Physicians are encouraged to actively consider the environmental impact of medical interventions. Chief among these considerations is the environmental burden of medication development, production, and disposition. Addressing the environmental consequences of medication prescribing is a critical part of mitigating carbon emissions in healthcare. This matter is often neglected, when compared to the problem of disposition … Read more
What healthcare leadership can do in a climate crisis
Healthcare governing boards, executives, medical staff, health professionals, and allied staff members should all play a role in devising, promoting, and implementing solutions for climate change mitigation, which must extend beyond the boundaries of their own workplaces and healthcare institutions. Such actions can potentially influence not only healthcare professionals and their patients but also healthcare … Read more
Identifying Opportunities for Greenhouse Gas Reductions and Cost Savings in Hospitals
This review discusses the development of a knowledge translation tool that aims to compare a range of interventions that can be applied in hospital settings to reduce the local GHG emissions and associated financial costs.