U.S. healthcare system’s GHG emissions rise 30% in past decade

Researchers say greenhouse gas emissions from the healthcare sector grew 30% over the past decade, and accounted for 9.8% of the national total in 2013.

If the U.S. healthcare system were a country, it would rank 13th in the world for GHG emissions, according to a study published recently in PLOS ONE, one place behind the United Kingdom. The studied included previously unreported environmental and public health impacts of the nation’s healthcare sector.