Hospitals Confront Their Climate Achilles Heel: Supply Chains

The health-care industry accounts for 8.5% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, almost as much as agriculture. So the Biden administration is pushing hospital systems to do more to combat climate change: The US Department of Health and Human Services has asked hospitals, health suppliers, drug companies and others in the industry to pledge to reduce their GHG emissions to net zero by 2050, inventory their supply chain emissions and develop a climate resilience plan for their facilities.

Some hospitals have already taken carbon-cutting steps like installing on-site solar power, purchasing renewable energy, and improving energy efficiency in their buildings. But the vast majority of ...