The Health Sector Goes Green
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More than 8% of US greenhouse gas emissions originate in the health sector. Recognizing the urgency of change, almost 1,000 hospitals, industry organizations, and trade associations have embraced the federal government’s voluntary Health Sector Climate Pledge, promising to cut their emissions in half by 2030. Practical, cost-effective actions with dramatic payoffs include designing green surgical suites that limit the use of the most polluting anesthetics, reducing building emissions, reconfiguring transportation and supply chains, and curbing single-use plastics. In a domain that pledges to do no harm, reducing the health sector’s immense carbon footprint is a must.
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