Strategies to Meaningfully Reduce Healthcare Sector Emissions in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Practice
Climate change, fueled by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is a major threat to human health and demands immediate and decisive action. The effects of climate change directly harm the health of patients cared for by pulmonary, sleep, and critical care health professionals while putting healthcare delivery at risk. Ironically, the healthcare sector itself contributes to GHG emissions. In 2024, an American Thoracic Society workshop convened an international work group of adult and pediatric pulmonologists, intensivists, nurses, researchers, educators, healthcare administrators, and healthcare advocates to identify strategies to decrease pulmonary, sleep, critical care, and research laboratory-related emissions; improve quality; and support sustainability. The workshop prioritized strategies with the highest probability of reducing healthcare sector emissions significantly and urgently while considering the short- and long-term impacts of mitigation strategies on safe healthcare delivery and unintended adverse effects on vulnerable populations. Interventions were identified on micro (individual provider), meso (healthcare organization), and macro (regulatory/government/policy) levels. As trusted voices, health professionals and their professional societies are uniquely positioned to advocate for systemic change, ensuring that healthcare not only adapts to the challenges of climate change but also actively contributes to solutions that promote a healthier, more sustainable future for all.
Authors
- Robert Laumbach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4350-3674)
- Ilyssa O. Gordon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1893-7200)
- Gary Ewart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9543-6513)
- Stephanie I. Maximous (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0511-3098)
- Emily Brigham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8449-5420)
- Erika M. Mosesón (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5861-5612)
- F.J. Rosser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1202-044X)
- Elizabeth Cerceo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-2193)
- Louise Trent (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2408-2261)
- Hasan Bayram (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5236-766X)
- Heather Baid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5128-4400)
- Aesha M. Jobanputra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8293-5971)
- Alexander S. Rabin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9667-0444)
- Alison Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5518-5442)
- Jenny Keroack
- Refiloe Masekela
- Amy Collins
- Hardeep Singh
- Cecilia Sorenson
- Jared Radbel
- Hari Shankar
- Forbes McGain
- Mary Rice
- Eric Balaban
Institutions
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
- Koç University (TR)
- Vancouver Coastal Health (CA)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Government of Victoria (AU)
- Johnson University (US)
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health (US)
- Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (US)
- Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (US)
- Hawke's Bay Hospital (NZ)
- Rutgers Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (NL)
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (US)
- Temple University Hospital (US)
- Hawke's Bay Regional Council (NZ)
- Pulmonary and Allergy Associates (US)
- Center for Health and Gender Equity (US)
- Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (CA)
- Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center (US)
- Harvard Global Health Institute (US)
- Health Care Without Harm (US)
- University of Brighton (GB)
- University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Annals of the American Thoracic Society
- Published
- 2026-03-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/annalsats/aaoag055
- Primary Topic
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00