One step forward for COVID, another step back for climate change

Welcome to 2022! I hope you’re keeping well and that you have been able to enjoy a restful summer break, recharged your batteries and feel ready to tackle the year ahead.

Hopeful as we might be that they have somehow been resolved, there are 2 global issues in 2022 which we cannot ignore, that of another year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Climate Crisis.

Two of the biggest environmental issues contributing to climate change are carbon emissions and waste management (or lack thereof). The healthcare industry is a major contributor to both these issues. According to the non-profit organisation Health Care Without Harm – ‘If healthcare were a country, it would be the 5th largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet’. Climate change is affecting our health, which leads to more people needing healthcare and putting pressure on our already stretched resources. The COVID-19 pandemic has tested us all in ways we couldn’t have imagined and now the waste generated by all the single-use items required has become an issue in itself.

Hope is not lost. There are truly inspiring people out there doing things, great and small, that aim to address these global issues.

While it might not seem that the running of our relatively small departments would have much of an impact, as they say, every little bit counts. My intent is not to lecture but to highlight the situation we’re in and to recognize those individuals or groups that are doing something about it. Are there any initiatives in your departments or hospitals that are helping tackle environmental issues such as waste management? I would love to hear about them and hopefully share them with our members during my presentation at the NSSA AGM in February.

The following are links to stories of people out there doing their best to be part of the solution:

One of my favourite stories comes from BBC news in the UK. A COVID ICU team coming together to plant trees to help offset carbon emissions. It not only helps the environment but their mental health as well as it gets them outdoors and interacting with their colleagues.

Hospital Covid team plant trees to fight climate change - BBC News

Another great piece is by Craig Reucassel‘s War on Waste program from Australia’s ABC TV about Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.

ABC TV + iview - Hospital Waste | War On Waste | Facebook

And this video out of the UK about positive changes happening in the NHS

Healthier planet, healthier people - YouTube

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Natasha

NSSA 2021February 11, 2022