Accelerating towards net zero: A guide for the Australian health system

Australia’s health system is a significant contributor to the country’s total carbon emissions, but there are big opportunities in the net-zero transition that will lead to lower health costs and better patient care.

Summary - Accelerating towards net zero: A guide for the Australian health system has been prepared with participation from health practitioners and policy makers from across Australia, led by the members of the Transitions to Sustainable Health Systems consortium, convened by Monash Sustainable Development Institute.

It summaries the Full Guide (see Related Materials) which brings together research and practice wisdom from Australia’s health system across a broad range of health settings to lay out:

• what we need to do to decarbonise the Australian health system
• how we can build the enabling environment to do this effectively and efficiently, while contributing to other health system priorities
• leading real-world examples of action, case studies and useful resources, and
• nine priorities for collaborative action to unlock emissions reduction in the health system.

It draws heavily on insights generated from a series of participatory workshops with 135 healthcare professionals from 54 healthcare organisations from across Australia, informed by a rapid review of the effectiveness of sustainable healthcare interventions. We would like to thank all who participated in the process and generously shared their expertise and experience.