Health policy in Germany
The healthcare system plays a special role in the transformation to planetary health. On the one hand, it generates emissions and consumes resources, thereby contributing to climate change. On the other hand, planetary crises cause additional, often avoidable disease burdens, for example through the effects of extreme weather events such as heat or floods, on the health of individuals and population groups.
Principle of “do no harm”
Healthcare professionals are bound by the principle of “do no harm” (primum non nocere): patients should not be harmed in the course of treatment. Against the backdrop of planetary crises, we believe this principle must be expanded. Firstly, demand for healthcare services must be reduced, in particular through health promotion and prevention and by taking into account the social, political and commercial determinants of health. Secondly, needs-based care that reduces insufficient and inadequate healthcare provision and oversupply is necessary. Thirdly, emissions and environmental damage caused by healthcare should be minimised.
What we do
In the field of health policy in Germany, we therefore focus on adapting the German healthcare system to the health impacts of climate and environmental change. We are also working on the transformation towards a climate-neutral and socio-ecologically sustainable healthcare system that guarantees high quality, is accessible and affordable – for current and future generations. Furthermore, we consider disease prevention, i.e. prevention and health promotion, and the associated strengthening of public health to be essential for planetary health. Our focus is particularly on contextual prevention, which takes into account health-related influences of living and working conditions, such as residential environment, income and education. This often results in so-called co-benefits for health and the environment, e.g. in the areas of active transport, nutrition and energy supply.
In collaboration with health professionals, scientists and political decision-makers, we want to answer the following questions, among others:
- What reforms are needed in the healthcare system to enable socio-ecologically adequate and equitable health that meets the highest medical standards?
- What incentives are needed to implement structural prevention with a focus on co-benefits for health and the environment in the design of urban and rural living spaces?
- What is needed to successfully transition from a reactive and compensatory welfare state to a proactive and sustainable one?
- How can health equity and ecological sustainability be taken into account together in the management of the healthcare system?
- What legal and structural conditions must be created to adequately prepare Germany for the health effects of socio-ecological crises, to cope with them and to learn from them?
Read more in our analyses
Projects on Health policy in Germany
Development of cornerstones of a sustainability strategy for the German healthcare system
Increasing pressures from environmental degradation and climate change also pose major challenges for the German healthcare system: on the one hand, it has to cope with increasing climate-related health risks and, on the other hand, it needs to contribute to environmental, resource and climate protection through more sustainable practices and the gradual achievement of the legally enshrined climate neutrality target for 2045. However, this impending transformation also presents an opportunity to initiate fundamental changes that benefit patients, primarily by strengthening prevention and health promotion in order to reduce illness and resource consumption.
Political Strategies for an Environmentally Friendly Supply of Pharmaceuticals
The production, consumption and disposal of pharmaceuticals have far-reaching effects on the environment and climate. In addition to high emissions, drug residues pollute water bodies and ecosystems and contribute to the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. However, these ecological impacts have rarely been regulated to date and greenhouse gas emissions in the pharmaceutical sector in particular are still barely transparent. In this project, funded by the Umweltbundesamt — the German Environment Agency — CPHP is building on previous developments by bringing together stakeholders from the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors to identify needs and collaboratively develop solutions and policy recommendations.
» Learn more about the project on environmentally friendly pharmaceutical supply
Legal Framework for Planetary Health in Germany
The aim of the cooperation between the Insitute for Medical Law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, the German Alliance for Climate Change and Health (KLUG) and CPHP, is to identify important drivers, barriers and potentials for planetary health in medical and health law, and to aggregate recommendations for decision-makers. We also disseminate and further develop them through discussions, events and publications in the sector and with policy-makers.
» Learn more about the project on the legal framework for Planetary Health in Germany
Climate Crisis and Self-Help
In this project, CPHP provided scientific guidance to the Federal Association for Self-Help of People with Disabilities, Chronic Illnesses, and their Families (BAG Selbsthilfe) and co-produced with its members exchange formats and materials for self-help groups and associations focussed on adapting to the increasing heatwaves and on opportunities for more sustainable practices. The project was funded by the AOK Bundesverband.
» Learn more about the project on climate crisis and self-help
