From carbon cost to climate care: Greening our intensive care units

Figure 4 Clinical co-benefits of sustainable intensive care practices. Selected sustainability interventions in the intensive care unit are associated with direct patient-centred and safety-related benefits. Reducing low-value testing, optimising energy and noise exposure, rationalising oxygen and medical gas use, minimising unnecessary disposables, and streamlining workflows not only lower environmental impact but also improve clinical outcomes, staff wellbeing, and system resilience. This figure illustrates how sustainability initiatives frequently align with established quality-improvement goals, challenging the perceived trade-off between environmental responsibility and high-quality critical care.