Overview
This book offers a practical review of the complex issues surrounding the development of sustainable medicine. It covers current global issues in an evidence-based way, evaluating original scientific sources and attempting to bypass the rhetoric of fear and denial. It presents the latest thinking on issues such as peak oil, water scarcity, food security, extreme weather, sea-level rise, vector-borne diseases and environmental links to obesity, cancer and heart disease. The book discusses ways in which those working in healthcare can respond to the challenge of sustainability in their private lives, their work with individuals, and in their organizations. Many inspiring case studies illustrate what is possible. Particular foci include food and transport options, building for the future, low-carbon medical intervention, and sustainable procurement. A heartening observation is that options that are good for the environment are almost invariably the best options for human health. With the greening of medicine, health professionals can transfer more responsibility for health back where it most effectively belongs-to individuals choosing healthier options. The book offers thoughts about what the NHS may look like in a sustainable future and how health professionals and their managers can exert leverage in policy and practice. The book covers all relevant aspects of climate change and global environmental health. It outlines the most important open questions in this area and offers suggestions about actions health professionals and managers can take as individuals and in their organizations. It gives an evidence-based overview of the topic in an easy-to-read and well-structured format. Sustainable Healthcare aims to become a global resource for health care professionals and managers who want to help reduce the effects of our actions on climate change.
