Unwavering commitment: Accelerating a sustainable, climate-resilient, and equitable health sector

For nearly three decades, Health Care Without Harm has championed the transformation of health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint, becomes a community anchor for sustainability, and leads the global movement for environmental health and justice. Despite shifting national policies, we stand committed to our mission more than ever.

The next four years are critical in our fight for a zero-emission, climate-resilient, and equitable health sector. This is not just an aspiration – it is an actionable commitment. Health care organizations across the country will step forward as they have in the past, not waiting for political consensus, but taking decisive action to reduce emissions, build climate resilience, and address environmental justice.

U.S. health sector leadership is evident through our Practice Greenhealth network 🡥, where our health care partners are transforming their operations, investing in clean energy, and building stronger, more resilient communities. These organizations understand that withdrawing from international agreements doesn't negate our responsibility to act. Instead, it underscores the need for sector-based leadership and community-driven solutions.

Health Care Without Harm positions equity as a core strategic pillar because environmental justice is fundamental to public health. Health systems, as anchor institutions, must extend beyond traditional health care to address environmental and social determinants of health. We partner with health care organizations to build community resilience against climate, economic, and health disruptions. Our approach transforms health care's role from emergency response to proactive community healing and restoration.

We remain steadfastly committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) values across our workplace and in our partnerships with health care organizations. Reflecting our core values of health care equity and justice, and a continued commitment to a robust DEIB framework is a critical component of the organization’s overall global strategy.

The path forward isn't about partisan politics – it's about protecting public health and ensuring health care lives up to its healing mission. While our government may step back from international commitments, our sector must step forward to fulfill those commitments. National policies may shift, but our mission remains steadfast. We will continue to align with the Paris Agreement, and partner with the World Health Organization, international collaborative bodies, and our Global Green and Healthy Hospitals 🡥 and Practice Greenhealth networks – because these aren't political choices, they're health care imperatives.

Through our international networks, community partnerships, and sector-wide initiatives, we're demonstrating that meaningful climate action continues. Our path forward is clear: regardless of political headwinds, we will lead the transformation toward a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable future for all. This vision isn't dependent on executive orders – it's anchored in health care's fundamental mission to “First, do no harm.”