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Gary Cohen
Health Care Without HarmUSA
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Climate Change and Human
HealthGary Cohen
President, Health Care Without Harm
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3
9 occurred in the first 12 years of this century
2012 2007 2009 2002 2003
2006 2004 2001 1990 2008
2000
10 Hottest Years on Record
Source: NASA/GISS
RUNNING A FEVER
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4
Chemical Dependency
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Revolution in EnvironmentalHealth Sciences
Babies in the womb and youngchildren are more vulnerable thanadults.
Chemical exposure at critical
windows of development canmanifest health effects later in life.
Chemicals can interact in synergisticways in our bodies.
Chemical exposures in incrediblysmall doses impact the hormonalsystem and disrupt normaldevelopment.
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Body Burden Profile:Pollution in Newborns
A benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants, and pesticides inhuman umbilical cord blood.
Though scientists once thought thatthe womb protected developing
babies from pollution, a study ofumbilical cord blood from newbornsfound an average of 200 industrialchemicals, pesticides and other pollutants in 10 newborns. Of 287chemicals detected, 180 have been
linked to cancer, 217 are neurotoxinsand 208 are linked to birth defects.
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OBESITY PROBLEM
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88
BALANCE
1:1
TODAY
1.5X
# o
f
P l a n e t E a r t h s
2050
2.3X
\
1970s
HIGH LEVEL OF STRESS AND OVERCONSUMPTION
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• Making the link between the environment and
health• Evolving the Hippocratic Oath
• Leveraging the purchasing power of health care
• Activating health messengers for broader societaltransformation
• Implementing a disease prevention agenda
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Climate Change Framing
Climate change as ultimate
environmental crisis
Melting ice caps and habitat
loss
Energy Security
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90% of the structures destroyed or severely damaged
May 4, 2007 tornado1-mile wide
200 MPH winds
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital Greensburg Kansas (USA)
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Asthma rates doubled between 1980 and 1995. (Mannino 2002)
127 million Americans are overweight; 60 millionare obese. (AOA 2006)
Between 1997 and 2004 diabetes incidence
increase 45% among 18-44 year olds (CDC 2005)
21st Century Chronic Diseases
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The Environmental Impacts of Climate ChangeWill Directly
ImpactHuman Health
Heat Stress
Asthma
Allergies
Infectious Disease Waterborne diseases
Food Insecurity
Source: Living Water International / Flickr www.water.cc
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West Nile Virus Activity by State 2013 (as of September 24, 2013)
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions byCountry
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Health Impacts of Climate Change
“Countries that have contributed least to greenhouse-gasemissions will the first and hardest hit by climate change.” - Dr.Margaret Chan, Director General WHO Data from: WHO 2004
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Preparedness andResilience
ClimateMitigation/LeadTransition to LowCarbon Economy
Messengers LinkingClimate Change andHealth
Healthcare’s Critical Roles in Addressing
Climate Change
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St. Rita’s Nursing Home
Memorial Medical Center New Orleans, Louisiana
Hurricane KatrinaSeptember 2005
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Hurricane SandyOctober 2012
Bellevue Hospital Floods andEvacuates Patients
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/york-citys-bellevue-hospital-forced-evacuate-patients-sandy/story?id=17607625
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Kiowa County Memorial Hospital
• 1st LEED Platinum critical accesshospital in US
• Two on-site 50kW wind turbines
• 59% energy savings
• Waste water reduced 50%
“Greensburg … is being rebuilt by its residents as a global
example of how clean energy can power an entire community.” President Obama, joint session of Congress, February 22, 2009
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Combined Heat and Power ImprovesHealthcare Resilience
• Invested $3 million in new CHP system
• Annual Energy Savings: $500,000• Reduction in NOx – from 110,000 lbs/yr to 5,600 lbs/yr
• Hospital was able to operate for 15 days off the gridwith CHP
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Source: Estimated using Energy Impact Calculator. Does not include effects associated with other energy fuel sources: natural gas, fuel oil,
and district energy.
Hospitals’ energy consumption contributes todisease and rising costs
Electricity: 57 B kWh(~43% of total energy
consumed)
Health impacts(CO2, NO2, SOX, Hg emissions)
Direct Medical Costs
$412,831,922
Societal Value
$3,514,987,379
Incidents Per Year
Respiratory Symptoms 452,561
Work Loss Days 83,798Asthma Attacks 9,521
Premature Death 464
Hospital Incident Visits 420
Chronic Bronchitis 295
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Climate change mitigation strategies inhealthcare sector
•Hospitals have a mission-related incentive to reduce
carbon burden
•Hospitals save millions of dollars through climate
mitigation
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Gundersen Healthcare – invested $30 million La Crosse, Wisconsin
“Our goal is to show that we can be environmentally
sound and improve our finances at the same time." Jeff Thompson, Gundersen CEO, Fast Company, May 2012
Total Investment : $30m
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Gundersen Healthcare:Community Energy Projects
“Years ago, you would rarely hear ‘healthcare’ and ‘climate
change’ in the same sentence…..we are responsible for thehealth and well-being of our community.”
Jeff Thompson, Gundersen CEO, Midwest Energy News, August 2013
• Partnered with Organic Valley on
wind project for Cashton, Wisconsin• Partnered with dairy for waste to
biogas project in Dane County
• Partnered with local brewery to takewaste heat and develop electricity
• Partnered with La Crosse County onlandfill methane energy project
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The strategy includes investing in clean and renewable energy sources while
also targeting energy conservation measures
Invested $24 million in renewable energy (both on-site and RECs)
"These measures will improve the overall health of our communities andreduce our operating costs at the same time." Rame Hemstreet, ChiefEnergy Officer at Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanentecommitted to reduce itsgreenhouse gas emissionsby 30% by 2020
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Global Green and Healthy HospitalsAgenda: 10 Goals
Leadership Chemicals Waste Energy Water
Transportation Food Pharmaceuticals Buildings Purchasing
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GGHH Objectives
•
To serve as a vibrant virtual community for hospitals andhealth systems seeking to reduce their environmentalfootprint.
• To chart progress in achieving measurable outputs, whilesharing best practices, finding solutions to common
challenges, and raising the bar.
• To mobilize health care around the world to work together toward and advocate for greater environmental health, locallyand globally.
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IMAGINE… Cancer treatment centers built without
materials linked to cancer
Pediatric clinics free of chemicalsthat trigger asthma
Hospitals with healthy food, fresh air, sunlight...
265 hospital pilots
Basis for LEED for Healthcare
www.gghc.org
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Philippines: SPC Health Care Ministry
16 Hospital Catholic system
Mercury substitution
Autoclave waste
Vermiculture
Food cultivation
Trash to works of art
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Mercury as Messenger
Seventeen year global
campaign.
Organizing on every continent.
Global treaty signed in Japan in
October, 2013
A global network of hospitals,health systems, healthorganizations and ministries of
health.
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Catholic Healthcare andClimate Change
“As Catholic healthcare providers,climate change is a moral concern and
our faith demands prudent action toreduce our climate footprint, protecthuman life and dignity…and raise our voice on behalf of creation and the
poor.”
Over 600 Catholic hospitals serve 100million Americans
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Mercury in Health Care Coalition Evolves toAddress Climate
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Coal and Health Initiative– CHI Goals
Generate a worldwide consensus in the health sector on coal’sconsequences for human health.
Mobilize the health sector to advocate for the phase-out andreplacement of coal with healthier low-carbon sources of power.
Contribute to a broader campaign-- prevent some 500 Gigawatts ofcoal-fired electricity from coming on line--the bulk in India andChina.
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Full energy chain CO2equivalent
emissions by primary energy
Source: The Lancet, 2007; Data from IAEA, 2001.40
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Health Impacts of Coal
Respiratory disease
Cardiac trauma Reproductive health
Neurological impairment
Shortened life expectancy
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Right to Environmental Health andAccess to Health Care
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