The healthcare sector is responsible for over 5% of global carbon emissions, double the amount of the aviation sector. But there is a way for healthcare actors to reduce this while at the same maintaining the quality of care in developed countries and expanding access to healthcare in developing countries. 

This is according to panellists at a recent event on “Healthcare and climate change: Victim or perpetrator hosted by the  Graduate Institute’s Global Heath Center.   

Sonia Roschnik, executive director at the Geneva Sustainability Centre, said that how the planet is faring is inherent to people’s health. The centre, which opened this year, has put greening healthcare delivery for better health and a healthier climate at the core of its agenda.  

“We can’t have healthy people on a sick planet, but of course, we also can’t have a healthy planet with sick people,” Roschnik said, adding that reducing the environmental impacts of health care will contribute to reducing the burden of disease and social inequities.

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