Integrating Environmental Sustainability into Health Economics: Concepts, Methods and Policy Pathways

Incorporating environmental sustainability into health economics has become a critical requirement for developing health systems that remain effective, equitable and resilient in the long term. As populations continue to pursue improved health outcomes, the growing strain on ecological systems highlights the necessity of integrating environmental considerations into economic analyses of healthcare. This chapter presents a conceptual and methodological framework for embedding sustainability within health-economic thinking. It explores how healthcare activities contribute to environmental pressures, examines ways to adapt existing economic evaluation tools to account for ecological impacts and outlines policy reforms that can support greener and more resource-efficient health systems. By merging environmental and economic perspectives, health economics can help shape systems that uphold human well-being while protecting the planet's ecological boundaries.