How can healthcare address climate change?
How can healthcare address climate change? Citizens in Canada are already witnessing the health repercussions linked to climate change. Heatwaves, air contamination, wildfires, floods, and various extreme weather phenomena can influence individuals' health and their ability to access medical facilities. But did you realize that Canada’s healthcare system accounts for 4.6% of our nation's greenhouse gas emissions — ranking it among the top per capita healthcare polluters globally?
Here’s how the healthcare system can take action on climate change:
Adjustment — Preparing for and adjusting to the rising health threats induced by climate change
Reduction — Diminishing the healthcare sector's substantial carbon footprint
How can healthcare adjust to climate change?
In 2023, the federal government launched Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy, which contains funds to aid health authorities in tackling new challenges posed by climate change. In October 2025, the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Nurses Association, and Canadian Public Health Association, in partnership with the Lancet Countdown, published a policy brief — 2025 Climate and Health Priorities for Canada — urging the federal government to act swiftly on climate change.
Among their appeals: finance and thoroughly implement the National Adaptation Strategy, enforce mandatory climate resilience and low-carbon standards for new constructions, and bolster and apply federal methane regulations to safeguard respiratory health. Nationwide, provinces and health organizations are answering these calls for action.
In Vancouver, the upcoming St. Paul’s Hospital, set to open in 2027, has made climate change resilience a core element of its design. It is the first hospital in Canada to prioritize this. A CMA article referred to the new hospital as a “climate bunker.” Among its various features:
- The ground floor will be elevated five meters above sea level
- The structure is oriented to minimize direct sunlight and optimize cooling efficiency
- It will feature robust backup generators capable of powering the entire facility during outages
In Ontario, the Northwestern Health Unit published Climate Change and Health in Northern Ontario, a comprehensive report evaluating health threats from extreme weather, water and food contamination, vector-borne diseases, and other climate-related stressors. This evaluation is now being utilized by local public health units to plan for specific climate impacts and develop tailored adaptation strategies — ranging from heat-response protocols to enhanced surveillance, community outreach, and emergency preparedness planning.
How can healthcare lessen its impact on climate change?
Canada needs a health care system with net-zero emissions. Agreement on how to achieve this centers around the following objectives:
Greener supply networks
Supply chains are believed to represent over 60% of our system’s carbon emissions. Transforming them into greener alternatives will require health organizations to adopt more sustainable procurement standards and reusable or low-carbon products.
Sustainable health infrastructure
Nearly half of Canada’s healthcare facilities were constructed over 50 years ago, long before climate change became a focal point. There are numerous calls for governments to enforce and finance retrofitting projects to enhance energy efficiency in these infrastructures.
Low-carbon care
In many respects, healthcare consists of a series of choices made by medical professionals. Advocates for low-carbon care encourage clinicians to consider the climate when making these decisions. For instance:
- Refrain from using the anesthetic gas desflurane (a highly potent greenhouse gas) when equally effective medications and techniques are less detrimental to the environment
- Eliminate redundant or unnecessary procedures and in-person follow-ups
- Increase the emphasis on virtual care, particularly in remote regions.
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