Surgery Is Becoming More Accessible—and It's Impacting Climate Change

As surgery becomes more accessible to people across the globe, climate change is worsening. According to an article by doctors and researchers from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, published recently in The Lancet, surgical, obstetric, and anesthesia care are major contributors to climate change.

Scientists worry that the climate impact of current surgical procedures will worsen as lifesaving procedures become accessible to the 5 billion people around the globe—largely from low- and middle-income countries—who currently can’t get them. The fear is that the current medical model, developed in rich countries, will jeopardize the health of the planet as the climate heats up and becomes more volatile due to excessive waste of energy, depletion of resources, and toxic emissions.

A 2019 report found that surgical care uses the most energy and produces the most waste in healthcare. Operating rooms use constant heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Anesthetic gases, such as nitrous oxide and desflurane, are a major source of greenhouse gases. Vials of medicine are often overfilled, so excess must be discarded. Plastic wrappings from sterilized surgical instruments are disposed of even when the instruments are not used.

There are, however, numerous ways to minimize the carbon footprint in operating rooms, like using natural wind flows to ventilate surgical suites. A study of cataract surgery methods in southern India found that using manual, reusable tools was cheaper, faster, produced fewer emissions, and had a low infection rate compared with surgery in the West using ultrasonic machines. 

Developing countries may have to skip wasteful, carbon-intensive practices and go straight to sustainable options. Kaeleigh Sheehan of Practice Greenhealth, which promotes sustainable solutions for the healthcare industry, says wealthier countries can learn from countries with fewer resources.