“HHS Says It Is Working to Stop the Climate Crisis. But It’s Really Just Climate Washing”
Today, STAT published this essay (my 19th climate-related healthcare policy writing since ‘21), at: https://www.statnews.com/2024/08/15/hhs-climate-change-climate-washing-health-care-greenhouse-gasses/. Three years ago this month Secretary Becerra promised HHS would “use everything – every tool at our disposal” to mitigate healthcare’s greenhouse gas emissions. Despite President Biden’s pledge in April 2021 to achieve a 50-52% reduction in 2005 levels of GHG pollution by 2030, HHS has not promulgated a single related regulatory rule. Coincidentally, "See You in Climate Court," is also out today in Nature, at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02600-5.pdf/.
Just to re-post:
On August 1st, 3 Quarks Daily posted, “The US Dept. of Health and Human Services Ongoing Failure to Address the Greatest Threat to Human Health,” at: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2024/08/the-us-department-of-health-and-human-services-ongoing-failure-to-address-the-greatest-threat-to-human-health.html. It opens with, “Arguably the greatest global health policy failure has been HHS’s refusal to promulgate any regulations to first mitigate and then eliminate the healthcare industry’s significant carbon footprint.”
On July 23, Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law published via its “Climate Law” blog, “The SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule Will Reveal Healthcare’s Significant Climate Risk Exposure,” at: https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2024/07/23/the-secs-climate-disclosure-rule-will-reveal-healthcares-significant-climate-risk-exposure/. I drafted with the Sabin Center’s Ms. Cynthia Hanawalt.
On July 11, Undark Magazine published, “Efforts to Build Climate Resilience Do Not Protect Human Health,” at: https://undark.org/2024/07/11/opinion-climate-resilience-human-health/. Though I do not cite, I’d recommend Wainwright and Mann’s 2018, Climate Leviathan, especially chapter 3, “The Politics of Adaptation.”
On May 20th STAT published, “HHS’s Proposed Rule Pays Lip Service to Addressing the Climate Crisis,” at: https://www.statnews.com/2024/05/20/hhs-proposed-rule-lip-service-addressing-climate-crisis/. This past week CMS finalized its 2025 inpatient hospital rule that will allow a small number of selected Medicare demonstration hospitals to voluntarily report their GHG emissions – that I argue constitutes a regulatory illusion intended to accomplish nothing. For a related discussion, see Tad Daley’s just published, “Future of Denial, the Ideologies of Climate Change.”
Thank you.