About this project

The detrimental impact of climate change on human health is now well established, and projected to increase into the future. Despite its mandate to protect and improve health, unfortunately the healthcare system is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and waste both in Australia and globally. The aim of this research is to understand the beliefs and attitudes of employees working in the healthcare industry towards the relationship between healthcare and climate change. Opportunities to reduce GHG emissions and waste, as well as perceived barriers to change, will also be explored.

We are seeking responses from employees of twelve healthcare organisations across Victoria. We are especially eager to hear from non-clinical staff, who have been underrepresented in previous research. We recognise that many GHG emissions and waste associated with healthcare arise from non-clinical services, such as the menu choices made by kitchen staff, or the heating, cooling and ventilation settings determined by the maintenance and engineering staff.

Findings of the survey will be communicated to the Victorian Government, as well as the healthcare organisations involved in our study. It is our hope that this research can assist organisations to identify actionable areas for environmental change in the workplace and drive positive actions to support a more sustainable healthcare system.

This project has received ethics approval by the Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee under the Victorian Streamlined Ethical Review Process (Project Number: 99414).