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The Physician’s Response to Climate Change

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Climate Change and Global Public Health

Part of the book series: Respiratory Medicine ((RM))

Abstract

The impact of climate change on patients and healthcare systems is mounting. Yet, healthcare is itself a major cause of climate change, contributing up to 10% of annual United States greenhouse gas emissions. Physicians must play a role in mission-level dialogues about the carbon footprint of their institutions. Physicians sit at the intersection of the science, medicine, and business of healthcare, and therefore are in a unique position to demand change from hospital administrators and lawmakers. We outline examples of how physicians have acted at the city, state, and national levels to protect patients from the harm of climate change.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Mary B. Rice

  2. Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Alexander S. Rabin

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  1. Mary B. Rice
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  2. Alexander S. Rabin
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Correspondence to Alexander S. Rabin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Kent E. Pinkerton

  2. NYU School of Global Public Health New York University, New York, NY, USA

    William N. Rom

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Rice, M.B., Rabin, A.S. (2021). The Physician’s Response to Climate Change. In: Pinkerton, K.E., Rom, W.N. (eds) Climate Change and Global Public Health. Respiratory Medicine. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54746-2_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54746-2_29

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