Path to sustainability: small changes, big impacts in general practices
Published: 20 January 2025
Overview
- Climate change is said to be the greatest challenge to global health in the 21st century.1
- Several Australian organisations have established goals and strategies to lower the healthcare sector’s carbon emissions.2-4
- Hospitals and pharmaceuticals are the primary contributors to the health sector’s carbon footprint, but there are many ways in which general practice contributes.5,6
- Decarbonising clinical practices is crucial, with health professionals playing a key role in reducing emissions to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target.4,7,8
- GPs can help manage climate change’s health impacts by educating patients and adopting simple strategies to reduce their practice’s carbon emissions.7
The carbon footprint of the Australian healthcare system is substantial at an estimated 7% of Australia’s total carbon emissions – equal to emissions from the whole of South Australia.5
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared climate change as the greatest challenge to global health in the 21st century,1 and Australia is particularly vulnerable to its impacts from species loss, floods, heatwaves, drought, storms, bushfires and risk of zoonoses.7 Unprecedented droughts, fires and floods have notably taken their toll on lives in recent years.2,9
Australia’s first National Health and Climate Strategy was launched in December 2023 which set out actions to build healthy, climate-resilient communities, and a sustainable, resilient, high-quality, net zero health system.2
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) have also called on the Australian healthcare sector to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and to net zero by 2040.3,4
