[From Becker's Hospital Review] Earlier this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a new, highly touted report on global greenhouse gas emissions and what anthropogenic climate change means for the human race.

Essentially, the science on the issue has become even clearer. The world's top climate scientists said emissions have already changed climate patterns significantly, and major steps will have to be taken immediately to avoid an increase in the average global temperature of 2 degrees Celsius — and potentially worse conditions.

This month, advocacy group Health Care Without Harm released a report of its own, "Health Care & Climate Change: An Opportunity for Transformative Leadership," coinciding with the IPCC's. It similarly focused on the issue of climate change, but HCWH officials tailored the discussion specifically toward healthcare leaders. Considering the energy-intensive nature of hospitals and health systems, as well as their stated missions of serving their populations with high-quality healthcare, HCWH believes healthcare executives serve an important role in the fight — a fight that is putting the entire healthcare system in a position of accountability...(Continue reading)