Climate change has been termed the greatest threat to human health of the 21st century. Older people and those living with frailty are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change including heatwaves and extreme weather events, and therefore, we have a responsibility to advocate for action on the climate emergency and take steps to reduce the environmental impact of our care provision. The NHS contributes 5.7% to the carbon footprint of the UK, and by reviewing the financial costs associated with frailty, we estimate the carbon footprint of frailty to be 1.7 MtCO2e, or 7% of the total NHS carbon footprint. Resource use also increases with age with particular interventions and medical equipment such as hearing and mobility aids being predominantly associated with the care of older people. The NHS has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2045 and in order to achieve this we all need to act—balancing the triple bottom line of environmental, social and financial impacts alongside outcomes for patients and populations when making decisions about care. The principles of sustainable healthcare are already embedded in the geriatrician’s holisitic approach to the care of older people and those living with frailty, and the imperative to reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare should add weight to the argument for extending the role of the geriatrician into other specialties. It is time to begin our journey to net-zero geriatric medicine.

中文翻译：

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气候变化时代的老年医学

气候变化被称为 21 世纪对人类健康的最大威胁。老年人和身体虚弱的人更容易受到气候变化的影响，包括热浪和极端天气事件，因此，我们有责任倡导对气候紧急情况采取行动，并采取措施减少我们提供的护理对环境的影响. NHS 对英国的碳足迹贡献了 5.7%，通过审查与衰弱相关的财务成本，我们估计衰弱的碳足迹为 1.7 MtCO2e，或 NHS 总碳足迹的 7%。资源使用也随着年龄的增长而增加，特别是助听器和助行器等医疗设备主要与老年人的护理相关。NHS 已承诺到 2045 年实现净零碳排放，为了实现这一目标，我们都需要采取行动——在做出护理决策时平衡环境、社会和财务影响的三重底线以及患者和人群的结果。可持续医疗保健的原则已经融入老年科医生对老年人和体弱者的整体护理方法中，减少医疗保健的碳足迹的必要性应该增加将老年科医生的作用扩展到其他方面的论点。特产。是时候开始我们的净零老年医学之旅了。在做出有关护理的决定时，社会和财务影响以及患者和人群的结果。可持续医疗保健的原则已经融入老年科医生对老年人和体弱者的整体护理方法中，减少医疗保健的碳足迹的必要性应该增加将老年科医生的作用扩展到其他方面的论点。特产。是时候开始我们的净零老年医学之旅了。在做出有关护理的决定时，社会和财务影响以及患者和人群的结果。可持续医疗保健的原则已经融入老年科医生对老年人和体弱者的整体护理方法中，减少医疗保健的碳足迹的必要性应该增加将老年科医生的作用扩展到其他方面的论点。特产。是时候开始我们的净零老年医学之旅了。