Environmental sustainability

Purpose

This domain is about taking responsibility for the adoption and promotion of sustainable healthcare practices at an individual and system level, recognising the interdependence of planetary and human health, and being an advocate for action on key environmental issues. The areas for exploration and activities draw on the educational outcomes and resources provided by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and identified in a recent consensus statement from the Association of Medical Education in Europe (AMEE).

Why is this important?

Humanity faces an ecological crisis that threatens the ecosystems on which we rely. We have been expending resources at a far greater rate than they can be replaced, and the world’s population is expected to continue to increase to around 10 billion by 2050. The planet is warming rapidly with even minor rises expected to result in increased risks to health, food security, water supply, human security and livelihoods. Health systems are responsible for about 4.4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and for a broader environmental impact of between 1-5%, both of which actively generate ill health. All health professionals therefore have a moral obligation to take action to reduce the environmental impact of the health and care they provide

Domain learning outcomes

On completing this domain of the enhance programme, you will be able to:

• Deliver care in ways that minimises waste and reduces harmful environmental impact, while maximising positive health outcomes for individuals and populations
• Locate, create and critically apply data and evidence from a range of sources to inform approaches to environmental sustainability and planetary health
• Identify, evaluate and embed measures of environmental sustainability as outcomes of quality improvement activity
• Communicate impactfully, to a wide-range of audiences, the interdependence of human health (and health equalities) and global and local ecological systems
• Advocate as a team, organisational and system level for environmentally sustainable practice, process and policy

You can view the full chapter here.