An Intro to Sustainable Medicine
It is no hidden secret that harmful human activity is one of the leading factors towards this new integration of sustainable practices, and for over a decade, healthcare has been no outlier. Clinicians and healthcare workers all across the globe are expressing great concern for global warming and climate change. Multiple areas of medicine, namely neurobiology, plans on addressing these climate concerns to local communities– approximately 30%. The healthcare and medical sectors are large contributors to our CO2 atmospheric carbon emissions, and if we don’t take action, this number will dramatically increase within the next 5-10 years. Therefore, clinical medicine is promptly attempting to fill in the gap to reach eco-friendly sustainability services, and in cases of Trauma 1 & 2, have attempted to operate utilizing eco-friendly technology within various emergency departments.
The 2019-2020 Coronavirus Pandemic and Sustainability
Although there have been plentiful medical questions regarding the source of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EEA also reports that there has been great pathogen flow between livestock, various species of animals, and our human health.
During the era we have observed during the coronavirus pandemic, we must take more precautions concerning the harm that the human species has made to the environment. Multiple recently published studies from the European Environmental Agency proves that there has been a measured direct correlation between the emergence of epidemics and human-induced environmental harm and unsustainable integration of infrastructure and urbanization. Epidemiology and public policy overlap.
Innovation can only build on from the past, and if we keep having more and more delayed lessons about these environmental hazards, we degrade our human progress and we are a threat to our own well-being.
What has been done? What are some examples of sustainable healthcare?
There has finally been a model put together for sustainable development including minimizing waste and harmful chemicals, and emerging hospitals have brought about a new model of sustainable development, such as Kiribati, which is a hospital located between Hawaii and Australia. Within these locations, there have been high rates of infectious disease. Additionally, The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated multiple partnerships, involving architects, medical doctors, fellows, and corporate companies, such as Sapere, to bring about an official Clinical Service Plan to revamp healthcare systems across global hospitals.
The bottom line: what must be done?
The bottom line is that governments and citizens must collaborate and build innovative ways to construct more sustainable habits for our planet and to promote human well-being. We must initiative a move towards a healthier globalized trajectory for a better society and better economy.
Works Cited:
https://emj.bmj.com/content/38/4/315
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