Primary healthcare’s carbon footprint and sustainable strategies to mitigate its contribution: a scoping review

It is well established that the climate crisis threatens global public health, and the healthcare sector, tasked with protecting human well-being, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Primary care plays a role in this, but research on its contribution and ways to reduce its carbon footprint is limited.

A recently published scoping review conducted by researchers from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland was able to identify the sources of primary care’s carbon footprint, its contributing factors, and several strategies to reduce its emissions. Identifying carbon hotspots in primary care is an essential precursor to developing targeted decarbonization strategies. Decarbonizing primary care therefore requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the underlying factors driving unsustainable practices, ultimately allowing healthcare professionals to balance the provision of high-quality patient care with reducing their environmental impact and improving both human and planetary health.