10 WAYS TO PROMOTE CLIMATE ACTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN EYE HEALTH
Climate change is having a devastating impact on the environment and people’s health. According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), climate change negatively impacts people’s eye health by creating conditions that can lead to infections, allergies, and eye diseases.
Climate change can increase the rate of trachoma infections through decreased access to clean water and sanitation. Increasing ultraviolet radiation caused by atmospheric pollution can lead to early onset of diseases like cataract. Air pollution has also been linked to increases in allergic eye diseases, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Extreme weather events can lead to eye injuries, and disproportionately impact those with blindness and vision loss, who may be reliant on family or community members for care.
Climate change impacts the environmental determinants of good health, such as clean air, safe drinking water, healthy food, and secure shelter. Natural disasters and environmental degradation also impact critical health care infrastructure, like hospitals or medical supply chains, making it harder for people to access high-quality health care where and when they need it. The World Health Organization (WHO) now considers climate change as the biggest threat to global health, threatening to reverse decades of progress, including in eye health.
Climate change will disproportionately impact already poor, marginalised and disadvantaged communities who are least equipped to adapt to natural disasters or other environmental changes. This may worsen existing inequities in eye health, including for women, people in rural areas, and people affected by income inequality.
At the same time, health care is a substantial contributor to climate change, responsible for an estimated 4 to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to address the growing impacts of climate change on eye health and improve environmental sustainability in the eye health sector, The Fred Hollows Foundation – together with IAPB and the global eye health community – is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our sight-restoring work.
We are implementing 10 evidence-based strategies, identified by the IAPB Climate Action Working Group, to improve environmental sustainability within eye health.
1. LEAD ON SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES
The Foundation is a core member of the IAPB Climate Action Working Group and funded the IAPB’s Guide for Environmentally Sustainable Practices in the Eye Health Sector, which were developed by experts from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare. On International Earth Day 2021, we supported the launch of these resources and the IAPB’s declaration of a climate emergency.
2. ADVOCATE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
In 2020, we released a report mapping our contributions to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a key resource for our ongoing advocacy to integrate eye care as a key component of sustainable development across its social, environmental and economic domains.
Our Foundation Sustainability Working Group is leading the implementation of our Sustainability Policy, and will continue to explore opportunities to promote awareness of environmental sustainability and climate action across the eye care sector.
3. PROCURE SUSTAINABLY
Sustainable procurement principles are built into our global procurement and sustainability policies, to ensure we can positively influence outcomes for the communities in which we work, our suppliers and their supply chains, our workplaces and our valued partners who support our operations and programs.
4. CONSERVE WATER
Water is critical to implementation of the SAFE Strategy for trachoma elimination: Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness and Environment. Find out more about our efforts to improve access to safe water in our trachoma programs.
5. REDUCE AND PRACTICE GREEN TRAVEL
The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating, but it has forced individuals and organisations around the world to find different ways to connect, communicate and care for one another. It has also impacted how we deliver eye care, and we have pivoted many of our programs in response, to support our partners in delivering high-quality services amidst the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.
6. EMBED ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING
7. REDUCE THE USE OF FOSSIL FUELS
Our Green Office Guides set out practical steps and recommendations to improve resource use in our offices, and we aim to procure energy from renewable providers where possible. We have recently rolled out our Green Office Guide to all global offices to share examples of best practice.
8. REDUCE AND SAFELY DISPOSE OF WASTE
9. FOLLOW THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE CLINICAL PRACTICE
The Foundation is piloting a new program to improve quality across multiple domains, including for environmental sustainability. We’re working closely with our partners to identify quality gaps and develop targeted solutions in response. The program has recently commenced in Kenya, Ethiopia, and China.
10. SUPPORT AND CONDUCT OUR OWN RESEARCH
Research will also help generate evidence for advocacy and practice for sustainable change, such as the comparative environmental impact of Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery versus Phacoemulsification surgery or the use of disposables versus reusable surgical equipment.
Through our medical team, we supported the pilot of Eyefficiency, the first ever carbon footprint monitoring and benchmarking tool, with results from this innovative project expected for publication later in 2021.
We will continue to work closely with the IAPB Climate Action Working Group, our partners and supporters to increase our understanding of environmentally sustainable practice in eye care, and ensure lessons learnt are shared to advance climate action around the world.
Meet the authors
Elise Moo
Elise Moo is an experienced research, policy and advocacy professional who has been working in the eye care sector for more than five years. Elise is a passionate advocate for advancing progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and improving environmental sustainability in the health care sector.