[SydPhil] Sydney Health Ethics Conversation Series - 20 March - John Appleby, 'Healthcare exceptionalism and environmentally sustainable healthcare'

[Kathryn MacKay]

John B Appleby, Lancaster University | March 20th 2025
Sydney Health Ethics Conversation Series  
‘Get off my lawn!’ How to understand the healthcare exceptionalism objection and how it can be addressed in the context of environmentally sustainable healthcare 

Hi everyone, 
Join us for our next SHE conversation series with Dr John B Appleby hosted by Dr Kathryn MacKay.  <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/6jrNCP7LAXf5RQX3YuJhDUxIVyu?domain=t.e2ma.net>
Speaker 

Dr John B Appleby, Lecturer in Medical Ethics, Lancaster University 
I am a moral philosopher with expertise in bioethics. I work on both applied and theoretical issues in ethics and law. In particular, I’m interested in reproductive technologies that are a significant departure from standard practices or existing technologies.
Abstract

‘Get off my lawn!’ How to understand the healthcare exceptionalism objection and how it can be addressed in the context of environmentally sustainable healthcare 

Healthcare is one of the most environmentally destructive industries on earth. A 2019 report by non-profit organization Health Care Without Harm states that healthcare's climate footprint is equivalent to 4.4% of global net emissions (i.e. approximately the equivalent of 2 gigatons of carbon dioxide per year) (HCWHC, 2019). Another way to think of it is that the healthcare climate footprint is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 514 coal-fired plants (HCWHC, 2019). If the health sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter of harmful gases on the planet (HCWHC, 2019). 

As a result, we are left with the paradoxical situation of the healthcare industry attempting to care for humanity while also harming it directly and indirectly as a by-product of the environmental destruction that is caused by that care. Given the severe environmental toll healthcare takes on the environment, it might seem intuitive to suggest that healthcare as an industry should do more to curtail its environmental impact and for it to become more sustainable. However, a central objection to any attempt to make healthcare more sustainable is that healthcare in general should be treated as an exception when it comes to requirements for environmental sustainability, because it has the special property of being a central good in society that is responsible for keeping the population healthy. 

In other words, some argue that because society is so heavily dependent on the proper functioning of the healthcare industry, we should not jeopardize this precious industry with the burden of sustainability demands. After all, healthcare is already an industry that is under strain due to local and international health crises and healthcare resources are always scarce. It might therefore seem irresponsible to some if we were to recommend that further time, energy and financial resources be taken from patient care and redistributed to making healthcare more sustainable. 

In this talk I discuss what I have termed the ‘healthcare exceptionalism objection’ in relation to the ongoing healthcare sustainability movement. I set out to address the overarching question of how much weight should we give to this objection when determining the burdens that should be placed on the healthcare industry to be environmentally sustainable? In response, I argue that the delivery of healthcare goods and services ultimately has to be balanced with the need to be more environmentally sustainable, and that doing this is compatible to holding the view that healthcare is exceptional. I call this the ‘soft healthcare exceptionalism’ position. I then proceed with a discussion of the conceptual, social and historical context of exceptionalism in debates about health and healthcare. Finally, I carefully review and respond to different ways that the healthcare exceptionalism objection can operate across three key levels of the production, provision and consumption of healthcare:  industry, institutions, and healthcare providers and patients.  
When
20th March 2025 
12:00–1:00 PM
Where
A27, Dean’s Boardroom/Conference Room, Level 2 (Main Entrance from Fisher Road, immediate left after you enter). Joining online? Register here: Zoom registration link  <https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/itqGCQnMBZfNp7PoGtli3UGkS-d?domain=t.e2ma.net>
If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 
Feel free to share this invitation with colleagues or friends who might be interested. 

Looking forward to seeing you there! 

Regards, 
Supriya Subramani 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.sydney.edu.au/pipermail/sydphil/attachments/20250311/a05accfc/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: smime.p7s
Type: application/pkcs7-signature
Size: 1509 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://mailman.sydney.edu.au/pipermail/sydphil/attachments/20250311/a05accfc/attachment-0001.p7s>