Sanjay Rajagopalan, Scott McAlister, Jason Jay, Richard D. Pham, Robert D. Brook, Khurram Nasir, Mark. J. Nieuwenhuijsen, Philip Landrigan, Allegra Wiesler, Christina Vernon Sanborn, Justin R. Carron, Kara Hammond Brooks, Aruni Bhatnagar, Sadeer Al-Kindi
{"title":"Environmental sustainability in cardiovascular practice: current challenges and future directions","authors":"Sanjay Rajagopalan, Scott McAlister, Jason Jay, Richard D. Pham, Robert D. Brook, Khurram Nasir, Mark. J. Nieuwenhuijsen, Philip Landrigan, Allegra Wiesler, Christina Vernon Sanborn, Justin R. Carron, Kara Hammond Brooks, Aruni Bhatnagar, Sadeer Al-Kindi","doi":"10.1038/s41569-024-01077-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a substantial amount of health-care resources targeted towards its diagnosis and management. Environmental sustainability in cardiovascular care can have an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution and could be beneficial for improving health metrics and societal well-being and minimizing the cost of health care. In this Review, we discuss the motivations and frameworks for sustainable cardiovascular care with an emphasis on the reduction of the climate-related and environmental effects of cardiovascular care. We also provide an overview of greenhouse gas emissions related to the provision of health care, including their measurement and quantification, carbon accounting, carbon disclosures and climate effects. The principles of life-cycle assessment, waste prevention and circular economics in health care are discussed, and the emissions associated with various sectors of cardiovascular care as well as the rationale for prevention as a powerful approach to reduce these emissions are presented. Finally, we highlight the challenges in environmental sustainability and future directions as applicable to cardiovascular practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":18976,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Cardiology","volume":"235 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":41.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Cardiology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-024-01077-z","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CARDIAC & CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEMS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a substantial amount of health-care resources targeted towards its diagnosis and management. Environmental sustainability in cardiovascular care can have an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution and could be beneficial for improving health metrics and societal well-being and minimizing the cost of health care. In this Review, we discuss the motivations and frameworks for sustainable cardiovascular care with an emphasis on the reduction of the climate-related and environmental effects of cardiovascular care. We also provide an overview of greenhouse gas emissions related to the provision of health care, including their measurement and quantification, carbon accounting, carbon disclosures and climate effects. The principles of life-cycle assessment, waste prevention and circular economics in health care are discussed, and the emissions associated with various sectors of cardiovascular care as well as the rationale for prevention as a powerful approach to reduce these emissions are presented. Finally, we highlight the challenges in environmental sustainability and future directions as applicable to cardiovascular practice.
期刊介绍:
Nature Reviews Cardiology aims to be the go-to source for reviews and commentaries in the scientific and clinical communities it serves. Focused on providing authoritative and accessible articles enriched with clear figures and tables, the journal strives to offer unparalleled service to authors, referees, and readers, maximizing the usefulness and impact of each publication. It covers a broad range of content types, including Research Highlights, Comments, News & Views, Reviews, Consensus Statements, and Perspectives, catering to practising cardiologists and cardiovascular research scientists. Authored by renowned clinicians, academics, and researchers, the content targets readers in the biological and medical sciences, ensuring accessibility across various disciplines. In-depth Reviews offer up-to-date information, while Consensus Statements provide evidence-based recommendations. Perspectives and News & Views present topical discussions and opinions, and the Research Highlights section filters primary research from cardiovascular and general medical journals. As part of the Nature Reviews portfolio, Nature Reviews Cardiology maintains high standards and a wide reach.