Fig. 1. Health-care impact on the environment.

Health-care directly contributes to climate change. This contribution comes from various vectors. Anaesthetic gases, waste generation and disposable devices are considered direct vectors. Energy use, such as electricity and temperature conditioning, also contributes to the carbon footprint of health care. Indirect vectors, such as fossil fuel used for transport of patients and health-care providers and the life-cycle assessment of the health supply manufacture (such as its production, including transportation and water use), are all contributors to this environmental effect. CO₂, carbon dioxide.