Many clinicians, concerned about climate change, have focussed their attention onto single-use medical items, given the large amounts of waste they produce. Since the 1990s, the use of single-use items has swelled due to infection control concerns, especially due to the emergence of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob [...]
Nitrous oxide is a useful inhaled analgesic. Due to its high global warming potential and ozone-depleting properties, the nitrous oxide emissions related to health care are being increasingly scrutinized. In this narrative review, we will discuss the clinical uses of nitrous oxide relevant to anesthetists, [...]
The need for LHDs to prepare for the effects of climate change and implement whole-of-system responses at the local level are emerging. Our rapid review found a relatively small number of studies that explored the impacts of climate change on health and health services. Most [...]
We must guide civilisation safely through the bottleneck of climate change and species mass extinction, driven by the twin challenges of over-consumption and over-population. Yet guiding this sustainability journey requires enlightenment about our individual and communal carbon footprints from health care. As an outsider to [...]
A radical and immediate engagement of all healthcare staff, particularly those who work in the ICU is necessary to join the race to zero carbon emissions. The following aspects will be crucial: prevention of chronic and acute (e.g. Pandemic) diseases to decrease the need for [...]
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically increased disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) use, contributing to increased medical waste and other environmental concerns. Barrier gowns are the second-most used PPE item. Although reusable gowns offer superior barrier performance with lower environmental impacts, 80% of [...]
We are in a health emergency precipitated by climate change. As well as physical health threats, climate change and its effects are adversely affecting Australians’ mental health, and worsening the health inequities suffered by vulnerable populations. In response, the Australian health care community must both adapt [...]
The rise and rise of overdiagnosis—and its corollaries, over-testing and overtreatment—has unfolded synchronously with the health emergency caused by climate change. Climate change will drive ever more people to seek medical care for exposure to extreme heat, drought, floods, fire and extreme weather, vector borne [...]
The glossary aims to support collaborations on health and climate change by facilitating communication in building cross-sectoral partnerships with research end-users and translating research outcomes into policies and practices in the Australian context.