Illuminating innovation in sustainable health care at Climate Week NYC

Over 200 health sector and business leaders came together at the second annual Health Systems Implementing Climate Action event during Climate Week NYC 2025 to share innovative solutions for building low-carbon, resilient health care systems that provide quality care and protect communities from climate-related health impacts.

Jointly hosted by the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health and the New York Academy of Medicine, the event was co-chaired by Dr. Jodi Sherman, MD, director of the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health’s Program on Health Care Environmental Sustainability. The event was once again the largest full-day gathering on climate change and health at Climate Week, featuring 28 speakers across five panels working at the forefront of sustainability and health care transformation. Two prominent authors shared insights from connecting climate science, storytelling, and the human experience. An afternoon panel served as the launch of the Commonwealth Fund State Scorecard on Climate, Health, and Health Care, underscoring the need for evidence-driven policies to prepare health systems for climate challenges.

The first panel, moderated by Dr. Andrea MacNeill, MD, MSc, FRCSC, explored how concepts from ecological economics can be applied to the health care sector. Speakers Dr. Andrew Fanning, PhD, Dr. Martin Hensher, PhD, and Dr. Narasimha Rao, PhD, urged a rethinking of health system transformation to ensure universal access to care while remaining within planetary boundaries. The conversation then turned to achieving sustainable and high-quality health care systems, in a panel moderated by Sherman. Dr. David Himmelstein, MD, Dr. Margaret E. Kruk, MD, MPH, Dr. Thomas Leyden, MBA, and Dr. Andrew Ryan, PhD, discussed the global problem of low-value health care services that provide little to no benefit to patients and their human and environmental costs. They reflected on the role of value-based payment reforms and performance measurement in advancing both health equity and sustainability.

The third panel, chaired by Joe Bialowitz, MS, MSc, focused on health care pollution mitigation and disease prevention strategies across diverse settings. Dr. Komal Bajaj, MD, MS-HPEd, Dr. Lisa Patel, MD, MESc, FAAP, Dr. Fawzia Rasheed, PhD, and Chris Webb, MEng, shared practical lessons from hospitals and health systems tackling carbon reduction, energy efficiency, supply chain reform, and waste management. Together, the panels underscored how health systems can implement climate action by redefining care within planetary limits, reducing harmful waste, and advancing equity as the foundation of sustainable transformation.

The afternoon began with a lunchtime author chat featuring climate scientist Dr. Kate Marvel, PhD, in conversation with Rebecca Weston, JD, CSW, of the Climate Psychology Alliance. Drawing on her book “Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet,” Marvel reflected on how emotions such as wonder, grief, and love can sustain commitment to climate action, reminding the audience that climate work is as much about human connection as it is about science.

The following session, moderated by Dr. Iris Blom, MD, PhD, explored strategies for making health systems more resilient, less polluting, and more just. Dr. Özlem Ergun, PhD, described how disasters like Hurricane Maria exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Dr. Nishaminy Kasbekar, PharmD, shared pharmacy-led approaches to reduce waste, while Jenny McColloch, MBA, MS, highlighted corporate sustainability efforts with community benefits. Dr. Madhury Ray, MD, MPH, emphasized the urgency of migrant-inclusive systems. Across these perspectives, the central lesson was that equity must be the measure of success for both resilience and mitigation.

The final panel of the afternoon marked the launch of The Commonwealth Fund’s State Scorecard on Climate, Health, and Health Care, presented by Melanie Marino, PhD candidate, with Dr. Matthew Eckelman, PhD, moderating. The scorecard provides the first state-by-state assessment of climate risks, environmental exposures, and policy choices affecting health and health systems. Additional speakers expanded on related priorities: Dr. Paul Biddinger, MD, highlighted risk analysis as a foundation for resilience investments; Dr. Manisha Juthani, MD, discussed the role of state health departments; Dr. Umair Shah, MD, MPH, underscored preparedness as a continuous responsibility; and YSPH Senior Fellow Dr. Ashwin Vasan, ScM, MD, PhD, called for bridging urban planning with health equity. Together, their insights pointed to the evidence, policies, and partnerships needed to advance climate-ready, equitable health systems.

In a rousing yet reflective closing fireside chat between acclaimed science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson and moderator Dr. Maya Prabhu, MD, LLB, Robinson asserted that “now is not the time to give up,” imploring participants to continue crafting our collective next chapter that puts humanity on a healthier, more sustainable trajectory.