By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor, Facility Market

Cars have drawn a great deal of attention in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curtail the rate of climate change, and understandably so. Transportation is the single biggest source of emissions. But more often these days, every sector of the economy is being scrutinized. This includes facilities and, now specifically, healthcare facilities.

The Biden administration recently launched a new health office that will prod hospitals to cut carbon emissions, aiming to provide greener, more environmentally friendly medical care, according to the Associated Press. The new Office of Climate Change and Health Equity will work with municipalities and facilities to mitigate harmful effects of climate change. The healthcare system is estimated to account for about 10 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted annually in the United States, making it a substantial source of greenhouse gases that abet climate change.

Connecting broad-stroke pledges of emissions reduction with tangible actions is the next stage of climate progress.

”Facility managers are now on the front lines of climate change mitigation, both in terms of working to ensure energy efficient operation of the buildings they maintain and in ensuring that structures and operations are resilient and can stand up to the growing hazards caused by a warming planet such as the ‘monster’ storms we are experiencing in the Southeast and along the Atlantic coast,” says Alexi Miller, senior project manager and engineer with New Buildings Institute.