Clean Energy

Climate Change, caused by Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to power our society, is resulting in dangerous environmental events and serious public health consequences. The leading authority on climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently concluded its fourth assessment report and finds that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities. Further, the increase in carbon dioxide concentration is directly linked to the burning of fossil fuel; coal, oil and natural gas.

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration illustrates that buildings are responsible for almost half of the energy consumed and 48% of all GHG emissions. The healthcare sector ranks as the number two energy user after the food service industry, and the inpatient care facility is the health sector’s largest energy consumer and obviously the largest GHG producer. Hospitals use approximately twice the energy as office buildings of the same size, and roughly twice the amount of comparable European hospitals. The high energy intensity of fossil fuel generated power used by medicine to heal is having the unintended consequence of causing additional illness and disease that must then be cured. Clearly, the healthcare industry contributes disproportionately to the public health consequences of climate change.

The American Public Health Association (APHA) has recently recognized the threat of Climate Change to Public Health and issued a new policy statement on November 11, 2007. The APHA policy states that the long-term threat of climate change to health is extremely serious and that GHG emissions are primarily responsible for this threat. Among other resolutions, the APHA resolves that the healthcare industry should be better educated about the impacts of climate change and adopt mitigation and adaptation strategies. The APHA resolves that healthcare professionals and organizations should implement mitigation strategies that minimize GHG emissions related to their activities as well as adaptation strategies to effectively address the resulting health consequences of the environmental damage occurring, including extreme weather events, expanding and shifting disease vectors, increased stress on already vulnerable populations (children, elderly, low income) etc.

In addition to the damaging health consequences of using high levels of fossil fuels to power healthcare facilities, energy costs are dramatically rising. In 2003, a barrel of crude oil was under $25/barrel and in January 2008 oil reached $100/barrel. Electricity usage has increased ten times the 1950 level and the capacity to generate and distribute electricity hasn’t kept pace. Energy markets are experiencing high demand and limited supplies, resulting in volatile, soaring prices. The inflationary pressure will challenge the healthcare industry as it adapts to this new economic reality.

The explosive growth of major international economies such as China, India and others will dramatically drive up demand for fossil fuels, at a time oil reserves are shrinking, significantly increasing the supply/demand imbalance. The bulk of fossil fuels are imported from volatile regions of the world and the competition for the world’s shrinking supply will further fuel international tension, continue to pose supply risk and continue to drive energy cost up. These factors point to a continuation of price increases and volatility. Recently, a barrel of crude oil surpassed $100 for the first time, it is not unreasonable to assume this is only the beginning and we may look back at $100 oil as a bargain.

Cost effective solutions to address the rising cost of energy and methods to reduce GHG emissions do exist.

• Use Less Energy by improving the energy efficiency of the healthcare industry.
• Improving the efficiency of energy end uses reduces both energy cost and GHG emissions.
• Use Cleaner Energy as part of the energy mix required to power healthcare industry.
• Displacing the use of conventional energy with clean, renewable energy reduces GHG emissions and contributes to softening price volatility associated with oil, natural gas, coal and electricity generated from these fuels.

The entire healthcare industry will be forced to accommodate rising pricing, while simultaneously facing rising health consequences of climate change.