WHO Urges Hospitals to go Green

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Hospitals and their emergency vehicles, which are major polluters, must join the fight against climate change, the World Health Organization said.
"The health sector can contribute a lot to reduce the carbon footprint because the health sector in many countries is the second most important user and energy consumption is very high," Maria Neira, director of the WHO's department of public health and environment, said.

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The amount of energy produced by hospitals and healthcare centres is contributing to a growing number of asthma cases and more respiratory illness as well as a higher number of emergency hospital visits, a WHO report published today showed.
"There is also evidence that the health sector's energy use and resulting toxic emissions undermine the health of the very communities the sector is meant to serve," it said.
Hospitals should use alternative forms of energy such as solar panels and wind turbines, install energy-efficient lightbulbs as well as buy organic food from local suppliers and make ambulances more environmentally friendly, the WHO said.