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Petr Nad/Dreamstime.com
Encourage staff to cycle to work
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Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals have the knowledge, cultural
authority and responsibility to protect health from climate change, according
to the World Health Organization.
World Health Day on 7 April marks the founding of the WHO and is used
to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global
health. This year the WHO has chosen the need to protect health from
the adverse effects of climate change.
The WHO says there are several reasons why health professionals should
take action to mitigate the effects of climate change. “There is
now strong scientific consensus that global warming will affect, in profoundly
adverse ways, some of the most fundamental determinants of health: food,
air and water,” it says.
The consequent impact on the health sector will be high. Moreover, many
of the steps that need to be taken to prevent climate change have positive
health benefits. For example, using bicycles and public transport instead
of cars in industrialised countries will reduce carbon emissions, which
in turn will improve air quality and lead to better respiratory health
and fewer premature deaths, says the WHO.
In addition, the increase in
physical activity may lead to less obesity, heart disease and cancer.
The move will also reduce traffic-related injuries and deaths. “The
sooner these steps are taken the greater their impact will be on public
health,” the WHO emphasises.
The WHO believes that health professionals at international, national
and local levels have the responsibility, political leverage and necessary
skills to protect the public from
climate-related threats to health. “Failure to respond will be
very costly in terms of disease, healthcare expenditure and lost productivity,” it
warns.
Global warming poses direct threats to health in all countries by causing
more severe storms, heatwaves, floods, droughts and fires. This will
cause disruptions in water and food supplies, and in medical
and other services as well as loss of homes, injuries and deaths (PJ,
14 April 2007, p420).
In addition, higher temperatures will change the
burden
and distribution of various vector-, food- and water-borne diseases,
such as malaria and diarrhoea, which already account for 3.1 million
deaths worldwide per year, according to the WHO. The prevalence of asthma
and respiratory diseases is expected to increase due to worsening air
quality, particularly ozone pollution.
The WHO recommends that healthcare professionals should lead by example
and start by reducing their personal carbon footprint and that of their
workplace (see Panel 1).
A new body to monitor
and encourage energy efficient practices throughout
the NHS in England was recently established (PJ, 2 February
2008, p109) and several hospitals have already reduced their carbon emissions
through
participation in the “Healthy futures” programme, run by
the Government’s Sustainable Development Commission.
Examples of how some pharmacy businesses are taking action to reduce
their impact on the environment are given below (Panel
2).
The health impacts of climate change will be difficult to reverse in
a few years or decades. With consumers becoming increasingly environmentally
aware, can healthcare professionals afford not to act?
Panel 1: Steps to reduce your carbon footprint
Reducing carbon emissions can improve health
and save money. Pharmacists and pharmacy staff can take several
easy and inexpensive
steps
to reduce their own and their organisation’s carbon footprint
(which can be calculated using the Government’s online
carbon calculator):
• Switch off unnecessary boilers during the
summer — this
can save 5 per cent of water heating costs
• Reduce thermostats by 1C to achieve an 8 per cent reduction in
fuel consumption
• Make good use of natural daylight — this can reduce lighting
costs by 15 per cent
• Install low-energy lighting — consider using compact fluorescent
lamps, which use 75 per cent less energy and generate less heat
• Do not overfill refrigerators
• Turn off unused electrical and office equipment
• Make sure the pharmacy is well insulated and windows are double
glazed during any refurbishments
• Buy energy efficient appliances
• Establish an energy policy and communicate it to employees
• Encourage staff to travel to work by bicycle, foot or public
transport
• Establish an effective waste policy
• Monitor energy usage by checking meter data and bills
• Set targets and produce an action plan to achieve goals
The Carbon Trust says that most organisations
could reduce their energy consumption by 10–40 per cent.
However, it recommends starting at a realistic 5 per cent saving
each year.
Further
information and advice for businesses and public sector organisations |
Panel 2: What some companies
are doing
• Boots ran a trial in 2007 where it applied the
carbon footprint label to products where a reduction had been made.
Key to this was
providing consumers with actions they can take, for example, using
cooler water to wash their hair. Boots is now working with the
Carbon Trust to develop a British standard for carbon labelling
of products,
which is expected to be published this summer. The company has
invested £5m
in energy efficiency projects over the past three years and has improved
energy efficiency by 15 per cent in edge-of-town stores by good design
and equipment selection.
• Since 2007 Lloydspharmacy has been supplying most of its pharmacies
with “green” electricity. Energy efficient lighting is
being fitted in all new and refitted stores, with more emphasis on
natural light and better air circulation. The company has redesigned
the packaging of its blood pressure and body fat monitors to reduce
the overall amount of packaging and to use less plastic. Reducing
pack sizes has also reduced carbon emissions associated with shipping
and road freight.
• Co-operative Pharmacy uses power from renewable energy sources,
such as wind farms and hydropower, across its branch network in
Britain.
• Rowlands Pharmacy is rolling out a replacement lighting programme
in all of its branches where old halophosphate tubes are replaced
with more energy efficient triphosphor ones. It is also working
with its waste collection contractors to develop ways of recycling
cardboard
and other plastics/polythene packaging. Medicines are dispensed
in biodegradable paper bags.
• Numark has a strict three-year replacement cycle on computer
hardware and has replaced all cathode ray tube screens with low
power consumption
flat panels. All new computers since the middle of 2006 have been
the latest technology low-energy consumption units. Redundant computers
are reconditioned and sold reducing the amount of waste generated. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal