The Dilemma of Green Informed Consent from the Perspective of Sufficientarianism

The healthcare industry aims to safeguard public health, but the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions it produces may have a negative impact on future public health. There is a current debate revolves around whether physicians should disclose the GHG emissions generated by medical interventions during the informed consent process, allowing patients to make environmentally conscious decisions: a practice known as green informed consent. Sufficientarianism regarding the distributive justice of GHG emissions provides theoretical framework for discussing the above issues. According to sufficientarianism, patients do not have the right to obtain GHG emission information from physicians, and physicians have no obligation to disclose such information. This reveals the dilemma of green informed consent. Achieving a greener healthcare sector requires macro- and meso-level reforms, rather than placing the burden on the micro-level doctor-patient informed consent process.