Environmental Advocacy by the American College of Emergency Physicians: A Brief History of Climate and Sustainability Resolutions

TL;DR

This paper outlines how the American College of Emergency Physicians has developed climate and sustainability policies to reduce healthcare's environmental impact and improve patient and planetary health.

Contribution

The paper provides a historical overview and actionable framework for implementing sustainability resolutions in healthcare.

Findings

ACEP's resolutions evolved from studying climate effects to advocating for operational sustainability.

Emergency department waste and carbon emissions reduction guidance was developed through ACEP resolutions.

The framework helps track and implement sustainability policies in healthcare systems.

Abstract

Emergency physicians are on the front lines of climate-driven illness and disaster. Reducing healthcare’s carbon footprint and increasing sustainability can improve planetary and patient health, lower healthcare costs, and boost healthcare job satisfaction. Over the last decade, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) progressed from early recognition of climate impacts on health to actionable sustainability advocacy. Council resolutions—ACEP’s formal mechanism for policy development—reflects this trajectory, beginning with requests to study climate effects, advancing to coalition engagement, and culminating in operational guidance for reducing emergency department waste and carbon emissions. This paper summarizes the climate and sustainability resolutions presented to the ACEP Council, including brief descriptions and their outcomes. It provides emergency physicians and health system leaders a framework to track and implement ACEP’s sustainability advocacy, with the goal of reducing healthcare’s carbon footprint and improving both planetary and patient health.