Medical organisations must divest from fossil fuels

Climate Change and Child Health Equity

The climate crisis is a major public health threat for children, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable populations. Climate change causes a myriad of health issues for children, including respiratory illness, heat stress, infectious disease, the effects of weather-related disasters, and psychological sequelae. Pediatric clinicians must identify and address these issues in the clinical setting. Strong advocacy from pediatric clinicians is needed to help prevent the worst effects of the climate crisis and to support the elimination of use of fossil fuels and enactment of climate-friendly policies.

Dermatology Societies Should Explore Fossil Fuel Divestment

This Viewpoint describes the importance of dermatology societies and health care organizations divesting from fosile fuel investments to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

Spatiotemporal Correlation Analysis of Hydraulic Fracturing and Stroke in the United States

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking has led to a rapid growth of oil and gas production in the United States, but the impact of fracking on public health is an important but underresearched topic. We designed a methodology to study spatiotemporal correlations between the risk of fracking and stroke mortality. An annualized loss expectancy (ALE) model is applied to quantify the risk of fracking. The geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model is used to analyze spatiotemporal correlations of stroke mortality, fracking ALE, and nine other socioeconomic- and health-related factors. The analysis shows that fracking ALE is moderately correlated with stroke mortality at ages over 65 in most states of fracking, in addition to cardiovascular disease and drug overdose being positively correlated with stroke mortality. Furthermore, the correlations between fracking ALE and stroke mortality in men appear to be higher than in women near the Marcellus Shale, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia, while stroke mortality among women is concentrated in the Great Plains, including Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Lastly, within two kilometers of the fracking mining activity, the level of benzene in the air was found to be significantly correlated with the fracking activity in Colorado.

[New challenges for anesthesia due to the climate change]

BACKGROUND

The climate crisis is the most serious threat to global health in the twenty-first century. In western countries 5-10% of all greenhouse gas emissions originate from the healthcare sector and the main contributing factors are energy-intense departments (intensive care units, operating suits and prehospital emergency services).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to provide background knowledge and practical ideas to achieve climate-neutral hospitals.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Narrative review with information on the topics of (I) volatile anesthetics as greenhouse gases, (II) energy supply in hospitals and (III) solid waste management.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

(I) Volatile anesthetics are highly potent greenhouse gases, especially desflurane has a major global warming potential. Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol or regional anesthetic techniques have a much lower impact on the climate. (II) Using sustainable energy sources as well as initiating energy sparing techniques, such as light-emitting diodes (LED) and motion sensors, can reduce CO₂ emissions. (III) Waste can be managed by the reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink and research concept. Doctors should actively contribute to reach the climate goals.

Does Health Promotion Harm the Environment?

Health promotion involves social and environmental interventions designed to benefit and protect health. It often harmfully impacts the environment through air and water pollution, medical waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and other externalities. We consider potential conflicts between health promotion and environmental protection and why and how the healthcare industry might promote health while protecting environments. After probing conflicts between promoting health and protecting the environment we highlight the essential role that environmental resources play in health and healthcare to show that environmental protection is a form of health promotion. We then explore relationships between three radical forms of health promotion and the environment: (1) lowering the human birth rate; (2) transforming the food system; and (3) genetically modifying mosquitos. We conclude that healthcare and other industries and their institutions and leaders have responsibilities to re-consider and modify their priorities, policies, and practices.