AT the UN climate change conference (COP26) in Glasgow, over 50 countries participated in the COP26 Health Programme and committed to strengthen the climate resilience and sustainability of their health systems. Yet while health care contributes to over 7% of Australia’s total carbon emissions,  Australia was missing from this foundational initiative.

Dr Eugenie Kayak writes that as every nation and every sector looks to play their part in limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, not only does Australian health care have no time to lose, it could lead by getting its own house in order.

Read the oped in full in MJAInsight+ which was published on 13 December 2021

Dr Eugenie Kayak is an anaesthetist. She is a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Convenor of DEA’s Sustainable Health Care group.