Academic Medicine Open Forum

The production and use of pharmaceuticals creates significant greenhouse gases. AAMCNews writer @Patrick Boyle, who examined how hospitals are trying to reduce their own impact, identified some interesting data on the extent of this challenge:

• About 80% of greenhouse gas emissions from health care come from indirect emissions (within the supply chain and through production delivery).
• While the entire health care sector is responsible for up to 4.6% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, it is estimated that the production, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals account for about one-quarter of these emissions in health care.
• The greenhouse gas impact of pharmaceuticals arises from three broad sections of the supply chain: manufacturing, packaging/shipping, and use. The biggest contributor to carbon emissions from pharmaceuticals is the energy source used for production.

Find out how challenging it is for hospitals to reduce their carbon footprint, given the limited alternatives and lack of data to make informed changes.