Mandating sustainability in Australian hospitals

To the Editor: Climate change has an adverse impact on health.1 Procurement, waste production, transport, and energy and water consumption (ie, the ecological “footprint”) all contribute to climate change. If the principle underpinning the work of all health professionals is “do no harm”, addressing the harmful effects of the health care industry on the natural environment must become a priority. We argue that one way to rapidly achieve this would be to mandate more sustainable practices as part of hospital accreditation.