The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) are calling on the Australian healthcare sector to reduce its carbon emissions to net-zero by 2040, with an interim emission reduction target of 80 per cent by 2030.
Climate change is a health emergency, which is already contributing to life-threatening illness and deaths and the Australian healthcare sector is part of the problem – contributing about 7 per cent to Australia’s national carbon emission footprint.
Presently there is no coordinated approach in Australia across different jurisdictions to address and decrease emissions from the healthcare sector.
A key recommendation of the AMA and DEA is for the Australian Government to establish a national sustainability unit for healthcare to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. Such a unit would conduct regular and consistent monitoring of national healthcare carbon emissions along with other indicators of environmental impact to help ensure sustainable, high-quality care with less waste, a greater focus on disease prevention, and more efficient operations.
AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid, said transitioning to more environmentally-sustainable practices in the health sector is absolutely critical.
“Sustainable practices are proven to provide health benefits for patients and reduce operational costs,” Dr Khorshid said.
“Having clear emission-reduction targets is necessary to ensure an action-oriented and ambitious approach.”
Spokesperson for DEA, Dr Eugenie Kayak, said: “Every sector must play its part to reduce carbon emissions, and the healthcare sector, guided by the principle to ‘first, do no harm’, has an added duty to lead and take action to protect health.”
“The Australian healthcare sector must be part of the solution and urgently reduce its carbon footprint in line with the science, to limit global warming, and to get its own house in order,” she said.
The widespread health harms from climate change are profound and impact all Australians and health services. To meet the Paris Agreement target of a 1.5 degrees Celsius global temperature rise, overall greenhouse gas emissions need to decrease by 7.6 per cent each year over the next decade.
The AMA and DEA have recommended several actions to enable emissions reduction in the healthcare sector:
- The establishment of a national sustainable healthcare unit;
- The prioritisation of prevention, primary care and sustainable models of care; and
- The procurement of medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and goods with low carbon footprints, and reduction in travel emissions through telemedicine and electric vehicle fleets.
Further recommendations made by DEA are outlined in DEA’s report, Net-zero carbon emissions: responsibilities, pathways and opportunities for Australia’s healthcare sector, including:
- 100 per cent renewable electricity and no new gas installations in Australian hospitals; and
- The establishment of a national net zero expert panel to assist in guiding interim emission reduction targets and pathways for the healthcare sector.
Climate Council spokesperson, public health physician and DEA member, Dr Kate Charlesworth, said the AMA and DEA have shown leadership by calling for the healthcare sector to achieve net-zero emissions.
“Just as we forbid smoking and prohibit asbestos in buildings, we must phase out fossil fuels from our facilities, and shift to renewable energy,” Dr Charlesworth said.
“Australia’s health system is a big polluter, largely powered by fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, which are driving climate change. The sector accounts for 7 per cent of Australia’s emissions – the same as the total emissions of South Australia.”
Healthcare systems internationally, and at the state and territory level, are already stepping up, with the world’s largest healthcare system, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) aiming for net-zero by 2040.
“In Australia, the ACT is on track to be the first fully renewable energy-powered hospital in Australia, and Queensland has pledged to expand its solar and energy efficiency scheme in its hospitals,” Dr Charlesworth noted.
“Every state and territory is also committed to a net-zero target. We must build on these efforts with a unified national approach to climate leadership in the healthcare sector, and a strong federal net-zero target,” she said.