The Climate-Smart Emergency Department: A Primer.

Climate change and environmental pollution from health care present urgent, complex challenges. The US health care sector produces 10% of total US greenhouse gas emissions, which have negative influences on human and environmental health. The emergency department (ED) is an important place in the hospital to become more environmentally responsible and "climate smart," a term referring to the combination of low-carbon and resilient health care strategies. Our intent is to educate and motivate emergency providers to action by providing a guide to sustainable health care and an approach to creating a climate-smart ED.