What Healthcare Organizations Can Do About Climate Change

By Toby Cosgrove, MD

The healthcare sector must take climate change seriously. That’s what the American College of Physicians (ACP) stated in its position paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in April 2016.

Its main message: Healthcare must implement environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient practices, while also preparing for the health impacts of climate change.

Health impacts of climate change

The ACP points out that climate change could lead to an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. Children, the elderly and the disadvantaged will be most at risk. While more research is needed to study the effects of climate change on health, we’re likely to see increases in heat-related disorders, respiratory disorders, infectious diseases, food insecurity and mental health issues.

Such dire predictions can feel overwhelming. After all, what can one person — or one organization or one industry — do about climate change? Actually, significant results can come from seemingly minor changes.

How Cleveland Clinic is reducing energy use and CO2 emissions

Here at Cleveland Clinic, for example, 16 percent of our total energy use is due to just keeping the lights on. Over the next 18 months, we’ll replace approximately 250,000 fluorescent light tubes across our health system with energy-efficient LED light bulbs, which will:

• Cut electric consumption by 28.6 million kilowatts each year — roughly equal to removing 2,600 houses off the electrical grid — for a total savings of $2 million.
• Reduce our carbon footprint by nearly 19,400 tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to taking 3,600 cars off the road.
• Decrease waste, because LED lights last nearly 2.5 times longer than fluorescent lights and they are mercury-free, which translates into safer disposal.

Another small change with big results came in 2014, when the miles-per-gallon of our fleet of vehicles improved by 3 percent over 2013. That resulted in 45,807 fewer gallons of fuel and a CO2 emissions avoidance of 418 metric tons. Since 2009, our vehicles have seen a 26 percent improvement in mpg, conserving 277,000 gallons of fuel and averting 2,531 metric tons of CO2 emissions.

Building a culture of environmental stewardship

That is just a snapshot of our many environmental initiatives. Overall, we are creating a culture of conservation and environmental stewardship, with a goal to reduce our energy usage an additional 20 percent by 2020. Since 2010, we’ve already achieved a 12.5 percent improvement, meaning we’re more than halfway there.

The effort is paying off in cost savings and recognition. Since 2007, Cleveland Clinic has been awarded 15 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications, including 4 LEED Gold and 8 LEED Silver.

Green initiatives can range from complex upgrades of electrical/mechanical equipment to simple awareness and behavioral changes. In fact, some of the simplest and most cost-effective initiatives are accomplished through energy awareness, efficient operations and conscientious behavior.