Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Health Care: A Closer Look at Products and Supplies.

Climate change leads to extreme weather, heat emergencies, flooding, and other events. These cause disease, injury, and harm to individuals and communities. Hospitals contribute significantly to planet-warming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nurses can reduce these emissions and mitigate harm through reuse, replacement, reprocessing, eliminating redundancies, and reducing the overall amount and quantity of products used. This article provides background information about chemicals of concern, choosing between reusable and single-use products, and offers suggestions for actions nurses can take to mitigate GHG emissions broadly, thus reducing harm to individuals and communities as a significant act of preventive health.