Institutional Betrayal: HHS’s Failure to Decarbonize the Healthcare Industry (Part 1)

Health Policy Sep 9, 2026 By DAVID INTROCASO The Problem From an anthropocentric perspective, the climate crisis is fundamentally a threat to human health and survival. The US healthcare industry significantly contributes to this threat. US healthcare’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) annually account for over 600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents or ~10% of total US annual GHG emissions.[1] If US healthcare was its own country, it would rank ~12th worldwide in carbon pollution. Tragically, the industry and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), responsible for regulating the healthcare market, remain committed to climate breakdown. The Solution There was a sense of relief in 2020 when the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced its commitment to decarbonize the industry. The NAM’s silence had been difficult to understand in part because the National Academy of Sciences had recognized climate-related public health problems as early as 1966. That year, NAM President Dr. Victor Dzau launched the Academy’s Grand Challenge on Climate and Health. The initiative was defined by a scoping paper drafted by Dr. Don Berwick, a former CMS Administrator, and t...