The academic public health and biomedical communities have a long history of researching and documenting the adverse impacts of pollution on human health. However, the healthcare industry itself is a major contributor to pollution as well as the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions responsible for global warming. For example, the health sectors of the United States, Australia, England, and Canada are estimated to emit a combined 748 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually, equivalent to a nation that would rank seventh in the world for GHG emissions. Moreover, the healthcare sector is a major consumer of natural resources, thereby contributing to the imbalances characteristic of what is increasingly being referred to as the Anthropocene and a threat to planetary health. In this article, we summarize current information on the healthcare industry's environmental footprint and the potential for markedly reducing that footprint by applying the principles and tools of sustainability science. We discuss some of the industry's special challenges, including those associated with new construction (which have undergone relatively little examination in relation to sustainability, despite predictions of accelerated growth). We examine current ideas and efforts to advance sustainability solutions in the healthcare industry, in high-, middle-, and low-income countries alike, where the healthcare industry can be expected to grow the fastest. Finally, we review case studies and discuss research needs.

中文翻译：

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医疗保健的可持续性


学术界公共卫生和生物医学界在研究和记录污染对人类健康的不利影响方面有着悠久的历史。然而，医疗保健行业本身就是造成污染以及导致全球变暖的温室气体 (GHG) 排放的主要因素。例如，美国、澳大利亚、英国和加拿大的卫生部门估计每年排放总计 7.48 亿吨二氧化碳当量，相当于一个温室气体排放量排名世界第七的国家。此外，医疗保健部门是自然资源的主要消费者，从而导致了日益被称为“人类世”的不平衡特征，并对地球健康构成威胁。在本文中，我们总结了有关医疗保健行业环境足迹的最新信息，以及通过应用可持续发展科学的原理和工具显着减少该足迹的潜力。我们讨论了该行业的一些特殊挑战，包括与新建建筑相关的挑战（尽管预计会加速增长，但在可持续性方面经过相对较少的审查）。我们研究了在高收入、中等收入和低收入国家推进医疗保健行业可持续解决方案的当前想法和努力，这些国家的医疗保健行业预计将增长最快。最后，我们回顾案例研究并讨论研究需求。