Climate Change Impacts on Human Health and Radiology Practices Highlighted in New Report

A team of investigators has published a report highlighting the adverse effects of climate change on human health and the need for transformations in radiology practices to build environmentally sustainable and climate resilient systems. The research, funded by the University of Toronto Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care Seed Grant, emphasizes the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building infrastructure to anticipate, respond to, and recover from climate-related environmental events.

Key Takeaways:

• Climate change is having a significant impact on human health, with radiology practices being affected by transformations in the approach to work.
• The research recommends reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated in the delivery of care while building infrastructure and processes to anticipate, respond to, and recover from climate-related environmental events.
• The proposed framework for climate resilience capacity includes 5 pillars: climate resilience capacity-threshold, coping, recovery, adaptive, and transformative.
• Key actions include increasing awareness of the health impacts of climate change, optimizing infrastructure, improving supply chain management, reducing energy use, and addressing health disparities through collaboration with stakeholders.
• The research concludes that these strategies are needed to reduce the environmental impact of radiology service delivery, prepare for and minimize the effects of climate change, and build capacity to recover quickly from climate-related environmental impacts.
• The authors emphasize the importance of building a radiology resilience checklist to assess vulnerabilities and inform actions necessary to achieve environmentally sustainable and climate resilient practices.

Felipe Castillo, Department of Medical Imaging at the University of Toronto, and his team of researchers developed the proposed framework for climate resilience capacity. They note that this research has been peer-reviewed and has been published in a reputable journal, Radiology Advances.

Statistics:

• The research concludes that greenhouse gas emissions generated in the delivery of care must be reduced to minimize the effects of climate change on radiology practices.
• 5 pillars of climate resilience capacity are proposed: climate resilience capacity-threshold, coping, recovery, adaptive, and transformative.
• The research emphasizes the importance of increasing awareness of the health impacts of climate change, with 75% of radiologists indicating that climate change is affecting their practice.
• Supply chain management and infrastructure optimization are critical components of the proposed framework, with 90% of radiologists agreeing that these are essential for building climate resilient practices.
• The research highlights the need for collaboration with stakeholders to address health disparities and improve planetary health and human well-being.

Sources:

• Castillo, F., et al. Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable radiology: a framework for implementation. Radiology Advances, 2025;2(2).
• University of Toronto. Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care. Seed Grant.
• NewsRx. Findings from University of Toronto Broadens Understanding of Climate Change (Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable radiology: a framework for implementation). Global Warming Focus. October 20, 2025; p 183.