A look back at 2019: Health Care Without Harm in the news

From weekly youth climate strikes to NYC Climate Week to groundbreaking reports, 2019 was a landmark year for climate and health. Here's a look back at a few of the monumental moments that have galvanized the movement.


The first-ever global estimate of health care’s climate footprint

If the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet, according to Health care’s climate footprint: How the health sector contributes to the global climate crisis and opportunities for action, a report by Health Care Without Harm in collaboration with Arup.

[Bloomberg TV] Climate change and health: The vicious cycle of negative impacts

[Yale Climate Connections] 12 major climate change reports from 2019

[Medscape] Health care sector major contributor to climate crisis: Study

[Health Policy Watch] Health care climate footprint is 4.4% of global emissions; larger than Japan or Brazil

[Bloomberg] Global health care sector urged to up its game on climate change

[BMJ] Prescription for a healthy planet

Read the full report

health care's climate footprint


Health professionals and hospitals lead on climate action

Health professionals and health systems are on the front lines of the climate crisis, witnessing the health impacts in their clinics and communities on a daily basis. In 2019, health care stepped up in major ways to ensure that your health remains a driving force in the fight for a cleaner, more equitable future.

[Fortune] If hospitals made efforts to go green, health care costs would go down

[Harvard Business Review] How health systems are meeting the challenge of climate change

[Medscape] Physicians starting to claim climate change is ‘in my lane’

[Clinical Psychiatry News] Psychiatrists discuss work on climate change

[The New England Journal of Medicine] Combating EPA rollbacks - Health care’s response to a retreat on climate

[Yale Climate Connections] Nurses sounding alarm on climate change

[Daily Nurse] Climate change: “Nurses are on the move”

Meet physicians committed to a better future for all

climate and health


Climate change is a human health emergency

In 2019, through increasing human health impacts brought on by escalating climate events, the face of the climate crisis has become one we're all too familiar with: The face of ourselves, our families, and those we love.

[The Washington Post] I’m a chest surgeon in India. It’s clear that pollution is a health emergency

[The New England Journal of Medicine] Climate change - A health emergency

[The Weather Channel] Medications can raise heat stroke risk: Are doctors prepared to respond as planet warms?

[American Nurse Today] Preparing older citizens for global climate change

[Bozeman Daily Chronicle] Climate change is affecting our health today

[Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons] Climate change: What does it mean for the future of surgery?

See how health care leaders are answering the call

Health Care Climate Council


From food to flooring: Climate action in our hospitals

In 2019, not only did health professionals and hospitals drive the global climate and health narrative through landmark advocacy moments, but they also tackled the challenge of integrating these values into the day-to-day operations of the health care sector, many with the help of Practice Greenhealth.

[National Geographic] Can medical care exist without plastic?

[Healthcare Facilities Today] The right flooring choices can impact staff efficiency and patient outcomes

[American Academy of Pediatrics News] FYI: Resources for antibiotic stewardship, oral health, and more 

[Food & Beverage Magazine] Maryland becomes the first “Cool Food” university

[Healthcare Purchasing News] Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth honor leaders in sustainable health care 

[Ceres] Legislation to weaken Ohio’s clean energy standards will move the state backward

[Herald Mail Media] Healthy, tasty food a priority for VA Medical Center

2019 health care food trends

healthy food


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