Climate change presents a growing threat to global health systems, with radiology increasingly affected by environmental disruptions. Rising temperatures, air pollution and extreme weather events contribute to higher disease burdens, leading to increased demand for diagnostic imaging and greater greenhouse gas emissions. Radiology departments must therefore reduce their environmental impact while enhancing their capacity to anticipate, withstand and recover from climate-related challenges. A comprehensive strategy that integrates mitigation, adaptation and resilience offers a practical path toward more sustainable and robust radiology services. This approach is essential not only for environmental stewardship but also for ensuring equitable access to care in a rapidly changing world.
The Climate Burden on Radiology Systems
Climate change has far-reaching impacts on public health and healthcare infrastructure. Environmental conditions such as heatwaves and air pollution increase the incidence and severity of cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and infectious diseases, driving up emergency department visits and, consequently, imaging utilisation. For example, short-term heat exposure and particulate pollution have been linked to increased demand for radiography and CT scans. The associated rise in imaging not only burdens healthcare resources but also amplifies GHG emissions, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of environmental degradation and healthcare strain.
Additionally, climate-related disruptions are financially taxing. In the United States, climate-sensitive events have led to billions in healthcare expenditures. Radiology departments must also contend with disparities in health outcomes, as climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including low-income communities and those in low- and middle-income countries. These realities highlight the urgency for radiology to address both environmental sustainability and health equity in its strategic planning.
Operational Strategies: Learning from Crisis and Building Responsiveness
Radiology’s future resilience can be strengthened by applying lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies. The pandemic demonstrated the potential for swift, large-scale behavioural and operational changes. From lockdown protocols to global supply chain adaptations, healthcare systems learned to operate under duress, and similar agility is needed to face the climate crisis. In radiology, this means integrating disaster preparedness into routine operations, establishing flexible supply chains and ensuring continuity of care during environmental emergencies.
Moreover, real-time data analytics can support informed decision-making in radiology departments. For instance, integrating weather forecasts and local air quality metrics with patient registration systems enables predictive scheduling and staffing adjustments. Early warning systems for imaging surges and sustainability dashboards for monitoring resource use are essential for enhancing day-to-day resilience and anticipating future disruptions.
Supply chain robustness is another key aspect. Past shortages—such as the global contrast media shortage—underscore the importance of diversified sourcing, waste reduction strategies and collaborative planning with manufacturers. Promoting circular economy practices, such as refurbishing imaging equipment and using reusable clinical supplies, helps reduce emissions and resource depletion. These operational strategies must also account for equity, ensuring that underserved communities maintain access to critical imaging services through mobile units and teleradiology.
A Five-Pillar Framework for Climate Resilience in Radiology
A robust climate response in radiology is supported by a five-pillar framework: threshold, coping, recovery, adaptive and transformative capacities. Each pillar represents a dimension of resilience essential for withstanding climate impacts and driving long-term transformation.
Threshold capacity involves infrastructure enhancements to prevent damage, such as flood-proof scanner rooms or installing backup power systems. By planning based on known vulnerabilities, departments can proactively safeguard operations.
Coping capacity addresses immediate responses when thresholds are exceeded. Disaster management protocols, communication plans and staff role assignments ensure effective coordination during events like floods or power outages.
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Recovery capacity focuses on bouncing forward after disruption. Mobile imaging and remote reporting solutions extend services to affected regions, while policy changes targeting health equity help close diagnostic access gaps. Recovery strategies must consider environmental and social outcomes, using crises as catalysts for systemic improvements.
Adaptive capacity enables flexibility to respond to unpredictable future conditions. Radiology education, operations and infrastructure must evolve continuously, incorporating climate literacy and technological innovation to stay responsive to changing patient needs.
Transformative capacity demands structural reimagination. This includes adopting energy-efficient building designs, leveraging waste heat and establishing green teams to guide institutional change. Such transformation is necessary not just to weather climate impacts but to reframe radiology’s role in global sustainability.
Together, these pillars form a roadmap for radiology departments seeking to align clinical excellence with environmental responsibility.
Radiology must evolve to confront the dual imperatives of environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Climate change exacerbates healthcare disparities and increases imaging demand, while radiology itself contributes to environmental strain through energy-intensive operations and resource use. By integrating lessons from recent global health challenges, investing in energy-saving technologies and applying the five-pillar framework for resilience, radiology departments can build systems that are both robust and responsible.
Such transformation is not the responsibility of individual departments alone but requires coordinated action across institutions, industries and governments. Engagement with stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem is essential to redefine the radiology landscape—one where planetary health, operational continuity and equitable access to care are not in conflict but intrinsically linked.
Source: Radiology Advances
Image Credit: Freepik
