The intensifying impacts of climate change have created negative health outcomes of vulnerable populations in our communities. UCSF Health is committed to the public service of providing accessible and equitable health care. Accordingly, we are dedicated to assessing our operational impacts on the climate crisis and the communities we serve.
What we have done
Transforming UC Health Systems to Reduce the Impact of Climate on Vulnerable Populations project
To further UC Health’s commitment to addressing climate change, The Transforming UC Health Systems to Reduce the Impact of Climate on Vulnerable Populations project was funded by UCOP in 2022, with a two-year time frame. The project aims to enhance UC Health’s ability to reduce its contributions to climate change, while also addressing how its operations effect vulnerable populations in the communities it serves. The results of the project are intended to be used by other health systems as a framework for reducing their climate impact on vulnerable populations.
The objectives of the project include:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by transitioning to a portable system for nitrous oxide
- Creating dynamic sustainability reporting for UC Health
- Developing health system resilience plans and best practice tool kits.
White House Health Sector Climate Pledge
- At minimum, reduce organizational emissions by 50% by 2030 (from a baseline no earlier than 2008) and achieve net-zero by 2050, publicly accounting for progress on this goal every year.
- Designate an executive-level lead for their work on reducing emissions by 2023 or within six months of signing the pledge and conduct an inventory of Scope 3 (supply chain) emissions by the end of 2024.
- Develop and release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations by the end of 2023 or within six months of signing the pledge, anticipating the needs of groups in their community that experience disproportionate risk of climate-related harm.
Collaboration with UCSF Campus
UCSF Health partners with UCSF Campus to collaborate on enterprise wide climate projects, such as climate resilience planning and decarbonization efforts.
Climate Resilience Planning
The UC System has been working on climate resilience planning efforts since 2021. In order to address existing inequalities that make communities more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, the resilience planning effort centers the need for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.). UCSF Health and the UCSF Campus have been collaborating on the J.E.D.I. resilience planning efforts.
Decarbonization
UCSF is committed to achieving 90% decarbonization by 2045. Learn more about decarbonization efforts on our decarbonization page.
