About Us

About

The health care industry is among the most carbon-intensive service sector in the industrialized world. US health care accounts for approximately 8.5% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, which is about a quarter of the global total. In addition to spending more on health care than any other high-income nation, the US produces significantly more greenhouse gas emissions per patient than any other country (Health affairs 39, No. 12 (2020) 2071-2079).  

Researchers believe that health damages stemming from US health care pollution are on the same order of magnitude as deaths from preventable medical errors. In addition, the health care industry constitutes the second-largest industry contributing to global landfill waste (Eckelman MJ, Sherman JD. Am J Public Health. 2018;108 (S2): s120-2).

As a leader in the health sciences, it is crucial that we enhance education, awareness, and adoption of environmentally sustainable practices across our operations. The health industry must achieve environmentally sustainable practices to fulfill our obligation to do no harm. Achieving this goal will mean changing clinical practice.  

Mission

To develop sustainable health care practices by decarbonizing our own operations, training eco-literate future healthcare leaders, and researching sustainable solutions that improve human and planetary health.   

Goals

• Update and expand the curriculum of our health science schools to include a robust understanding of the human health effects of climate change. 

• Graduate students with a solid understanding of the principles of sustainability and the ability to put these into practice. 

• Reduce the carbon footprint of our own operations. 

• Pioneer research that “un-engineers” climate change (Pioneer research that paves the way to sustainable healthcare.)  

• Understand and mitigate the unequal effects of climate change on vulnerable populations. 

•  Strengthen our own work by aligning and providing representation between the schools of the health sciences and the significant efforts at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC.