Initiatives
Through Health Care Without Harm, health care organizations can join Race to Zero, the UN-backed campaign that rallies non-state actors to take action to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. Sign up today and join the global network of health care organizations participating in Race to Zero.
The Health Care Climate Challenge engages and equips health care institutions – from small clinics to large health systems to ministries of health – to commit to effective climate action while building collective impact across countries and across borders. The Challenge is also the gateway to the Race to Zero. Join today!
Together with our global partners, we convened representatives from 98 health care organizations spanning 20 countries to share their learnings from implementing decarbonization and adaptation initiatives. Our Guidance for health care climate action condenses this wealth of collective knowledge that compiles discussions with health care leaders around the world. Browse the resources, case studies, and videos.
Reports and guidelines
This document compiles, analyzes, and presents the most relevant aspects of Health Care Without Harm’s experience in developing greenhouse gas (GHG) national baselines, action plans or roadmaps, and capacity-building strategies. The knowledge gained from these exercises informs decisions and recommendations for future initiatives and technical assistance to health systems around the world.
This guide has been developed by Health Care Without Harm Europe as part of the LIFE RESYSTAL project, which aims to develop resources that increase the climate resilience capacity of the European healthcare sector and related critical infrastructures. The Guide was created with insight from two pilot health systems but has been designed to be applicable to any European health system, regardless of their structure and size.
This document presents the key recommendations from Health Care Without Harm's global network internal scoping assessment on climate-resilient health care. It proposes a set of elements centered on enabling the sector to proactively address the challenges posed by climate change and build climate-resilient systems while reducing its environmental footprint and prioritizing equitable access to healthcare. Available in English and Spanish. Download.
This tool provides a plan and charts a course to get health care toward zero emissions. It considers health sector emissions across all its component parts. It drills down into these elements to establish where emissions are most prevalent and explores interventions that can contribute to reducing them. It does so at a global level, and in the accompanying appendix, at a country level for 68 countries. Visit our page.
This resource, developed by Health Care Without Harm Europe, supports any national or regional health authority to measure its health care emissions and develop a Paris-compatible decarbonization roadmap. Download.
If the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet. This report provides the most comprehensive global analysis of health care’s contribution to climate change to date and makes the case for a transformation of the health care sector that aligns it with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting climate change to 1.5 degrees celsius. Download.
Health professional’s advocacy
Download our campaign and advocacy guide, a powerful resource for health care professionals who want to harness their expertise and credibility as trusted voices to drive climate policy changes at local, national, and global levels. It provides actionable steps for organizing campaigns, hosting public awareness events, and collaborating with other advocacy groups to maximize impact and reach.
Around the world, Health Care Without Harm leads or co-leads seven health professional networks dedicated to climate education and advocacy. Browse our networks and join today this global movement of health care professionals working to protect public health from climate change. Learn more.
Air pollution
This document brings together crucial material on air pollution and health from different scientific sources. It covers the different sources of air pollution, its impact on health, and recommendations to advocate for clean air.
This document includes scientific evidence of health effects of the use of coal for energy generation. Its aim is to serve as a resource for those interested in the evidence from the health research literature addressing the health effects of the use of coal, focusing primarily on air emissions from coal combustion.
The paper begins to define a framework for analyzing and addressing the health sector’s climate footprint – including identifying seven aspects of a climate-friendly hospital. It also draws on a series of examples from around the world that demonstrate that the health sector is indeed already beginning to provide leadership in this most important area of concern to the global community. This paper is the first step in a World Health Organization (WHO) project in collaboration with Health Care Without Harm aimed at addressing the climate footprint of the health sector. Download.
Just transition and fossil fuels
Health Care Without Harm’s position paper on Just Transition, which includes the principles and positions that guide the conversation on this topic. Download.
In 2023, Health Care With Harm and the Global Climate and Health Alliance launched the COP28 Open Letter on fossil fuels, unifying the voice of organizations representing over 46 million health care professionals from 135 countries. Learn more
This guidance document on climate change and its health impacts for health care professionals in South Africa was developed groundWork with the support of Health Care Without Harm, and was endorsed by the Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA). Download.
Additional resources on climate and health
This document supports health care organizations in thinking critically about a specific project or initiative while shifting the work to focus on community engagement to drive more systemic change. Health Care Without Harm believes that communities know what is best for their community, and the involvement of local stakeholders and partners from the start is critical to equitable processes and lasting progress. Download.
This 2017 World Bank report, co-produced with Health Care Without Harm, provides a new approach to bridge the gap between adaptation and mitigation in the health sector. Climate-smart healthcare encompasses both low-carbon and resilience strategies in an overarching framework rather than treating mitigation and adaptation solutions as separate approaches. Download.
This playbook captures examples of the many ways Health Care Climate Council members are moving toward climate-smart health care. It is intended to inspire hospitals to engage further in climate action, and provide a vivid path forward to achieving measurable progress and outcomes. Download.
This report from the World Bank, Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, coauthored by Health Care Without Harm, and supported by the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) focuses on how low-carbon and climate-resilient health solutions present opportunities to tackle the converged crises of the current pandemic, those in the future, and climate change. Download.
As part of the COP26 Health Programme, Health Care Without Harm worked alongside the COP26 Presidency, the World Health Organization, and the UNFCCC Climate Champions to engage countries and stakeholders on climate and health. This webinar provides an overview of the COP26 Health Initiatives on Climate Resilient Health Systems and Low Carbon Sustainable Health Systems. Watch.
Energy efficiency and sustainable cooling
This document presents comprehensive information about the project, and the case studies explain details of the pilots implemented at Dr. José Giordano Hospital of Albardón (Argentina), Beijing Huilongguan Hospital (China), and the St. Paul´s Hospital of Iloilo (Philippines). Download.
This sample Terms of Reference document was developed for facilities that want to conduct energy audits. Download.
The objective of this checklist template is to have a quick and easy-to-use tool to assess engagement in cooling efficiency and implement energy and environmental improvements. The data obtained will be useful for developing indicators and making a diagnosis, and, in many cases, it will be sufficient for setting specific goals and deadlines to achieve them. Download.