Climate change poses a significant challenge for global health. The World Health Organization estimates 250,000 additional annual deaths between 2030 and 2050 due to global warming. The healthcare sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for approximately 4.4-5.5% of a country’s total carbon footprint, with medicines contributing 5–10%. Research on the climate impact of medicines is needed to identify areas for emission reduction. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of existing literature on the climate impact of medicines in the hospital sector and identify knowledge gaps. A comprehensive literature search was conducted, with articles categorized based on the type of medicine or therapeutic area, enabling a structured mapping of current areas of evidence. The review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines, searching PubMed and Embase for peer-reviewed articles published in the last 20 years that reported original data on GHG emissions from medicines in the hospital sector. Of the 2,986 studies identified, 33 were included. Most focused on emissions from inhaled anaesthetic gases (n=16), followed by inhaler therapies (n=6), healthcare systems or whole-hospital emissions (n=5), ophthalmology (n=3), surgical procedures (n=2), and other areas (n=2). The findings show that while certain areas, particularly anaesthetic gases and inhaler therapy, have been more researched the overall research on the climate impact of medicines in the hospital sector remains limited. Knowledge gaps persist across most therapeutic areas, highlighting the need for further systematic investigations to inform effective mitigation strategies and support climate-conscious decision-making in the hospital sector.
