Institutional Betrayal: HHS’s Failure to Decarbonize the Healthcare Industry (Part 2)

Health Policy Sep 15, 2026• By DAVID INTROCASO This is Part 2 of David Introcaso’s review of the attempt by the Biden admin to do something about the massive carbon footprint of the US health care system. If you haven’t read part 1, start here. Discussion Under Secretary Becerra, HHS’s effort to decarbonize healthcare amounted to passive obstructionism or at best an exercise in performative guilt. Inarguably, the climate crisis constitutes a permanent Public Health Emergency (PHE). Yet, Becerra refused to declare one. His Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, whose job was to generate debate and build consensus concerning significant public health issues, failed to make climate breakdown or healthcare’s contribution to it a priority. HHS never signed an agreement with the EPA nor with the Department of Energy. It was striking Becerra failed to say anything about the Securities and Exchange Commissions’ 2022 proposed climate disclosure rule despite knowing the highly-leveraged healthcare industry faces significant climate-related financial risk exposure. Because Becerra also failed to obtain Congressional funding for OCCHE, until it was eliminated in 2025 OCCHE was largely relegated to...