The intersection of pediatric surgery, climate change, and equity

Hannah C Cockrell; Elizabeth E Hansen; Kenneth Gow; Annie Fecteau; Sarah L M Greenberg

doi:10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.01.017

The intersection of pediatric surgery, climate change, and equity

J Pediatr Surg. 2023 May;58(5):943-948. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.01.017. Epub 2023 Jan 19.

Authors

Hannah C Cockrell¹, Elizabeth E Hansen², Kenneth Gow³, Annie Fecteau⁴, Sarah L M Greenberg³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Box 356410, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Electronic address: Hannah.Cockrell@SeattleChildrens.org.
² Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle WA 98105, USA; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Box 356540, 1959 Pacific Street, BB-1469, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
³ Division of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Seattle Children's Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Box 356410, 1959 NE Pacific St, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
⁴ Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G1X8, Canada.

PMID: 36792419
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2023.01.017

Abstract

Climate change is occurring at an unprecedented rate. Recent years have seen heatwaves, wildfires, floods, droughts, and re-emerging infectious diseases fueled by global warming. Global warming has also increased the frequency and severity of surgical disease, particularly for children, who bear an estimated 88% of the global burden of disease attributable to climate change. Health care delivery itself weighs heavily on the environment, accounting for nearly 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Within the health care sector, surgery and anesthesia are particularly carbon intensive. The surgical community must prioritize the intersection of climate change and pediatric surgery in order to address pediatric surgical disease on a global scale, while reducing the climate impact of surgical care delivery. This review defines the current state of climate change and its effects on pediatric surgical disease, discusses climate justice, and outlines actions to reduce the climate impact of surgical services. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

Keywords: Climate change; Climate justice; Health equity; Pediatric surgery.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Child
Climate Change*
Humans
Specialties, Surgical*