All DHBs Need To Prioritise Carbon Footprint Reduction

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists supports the Government’s commitment to a carbon neutral public service by 2025.

The health sector is responsible for between 4-8% of New Zealand’s carbon emissions.

Last week senior doctors and dentists at the ASMS Annual Conference passed a resolution to strongly advocate for all DHBs to join Toitū Envirocare – an organisation which measures and reports on environmental impact and gives certification.

ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says so far six of the DHBs have signed up.

“Those DHBs which already have a relationship with Toitū Envirocare and have appointed dedicated sustainability managers have made huge strides in reducing their carbon emissions. Other DHBs can learn from them”.

Sarah Dalton says climate is one of the biggest social determinants of health.

“Doctors know the health benefits that are associated with carbon emission reduction and many are leading sustainability initiatives in their own DHBs”.

Some of those initiatives are featured in an ASMS article ‘Walking the Talk on Sustainability’, which you can read here.

The ASMS Annual Conference also passed a resolution to advocate for the establishment of a national Sustainable Development Unit to co-ordinate and accelerate the health sector’s journey to become carbon neutral by 2040.

Sarah Dalton says a joined-up approach will be more effective when it comes to meeting these targets.

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