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The energy burden and environmental impact of health services

Author

Listed:
  • Brown, L.H.
  • Buettner, P.G.
  • Canyon, D.V.

Abstract

Objectives: We reviewed the English-language literature on the energy burden and environmental impact of health services. Methods: We searched all years of the PubMed, CINAHL, and ScienceDirect databases for publications reporting energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, or the environmental impact of health-related activities. We extracted and tabulated data to enable cross-comparisons among different activities and services; where possible, we calculated per patient or per event emissions. Results: We identified 38 relevant publications. Per patient or per event, health-related energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are quite modest; in the aggregate, however, they are considerable. In England and the United States, health-related emissions account for 3% and 8% of total national emissions, respectively. Conclusions: Although reducing health-related energy consumption and emissions alone will not resolve all of the problems of energy scarcity and climate change, it could make a meaningful contribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, L.H. & Buettner, P.G. & Canyon, D.V., 2012. "The energy burden and environmental impact of health services," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(12), pages 76-82.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.300776_9
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300776
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    Cited by:

    1. Christin Seifert & Edeltraud Guenther, 2020. "Who cares?—Stakeholder relevance for voluntary environmental management in hospitals," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1786-1799, July.
    2. Khaled Bawaneh & Farnaz Ghazi Nezami & Md. Rasheduzzaman & Brad Deken, 2019. "Energy Consumption Analysis and Characterization of Healthcare Facilities in the United States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-20, October.
    3. Miguel Gómez-Chaparro & Justo García-Sanz-Calcedo & Luis Armenta Márquez, 2018. "Analytical Determination of Medical Gases Consumption and Their Impact on Hospital Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    4. Małgorzata Cygańska & Magdalena Kludacz-Alessandri, 2021. "Determinants of Electrical and Thermal Energy Consumption in Hospitals According to Climate Zones in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-24, November.
    5. Justo Garcia-Sanz-Calcedo & Fernando Lopez-Rodriguez & Talal Yusaf & Awf Al-Kassir, 2017. "Analysis of the Average Annual Consumption of Water in the Hospitals of Extremadura (Spain)," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-10, April.

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