Net Zero Occupational Therapy

As we shift towards a decarbonised society, the “transition to net zero emissions in Australia will need backing from businesses and individuals and every level of government to support technology development, demonstration and deployment” (Climateworks Australia, 2020, p32).

As an occupational therapist and business owner, I have been concerned about the actions I could take for some time. Fortunately, my clinical skills are helping me.

Andrew Bynon Occupational Therapist

Motivation

At the start of this journey, I may have been described as ambivalent about decarbonisation. I knew things needed to change, but had my reasons for them to stay the same. Consistent with Miller and Rollnick’s work on Motivational Interviewing (2013), a conversation with a colleague linked my values with change. Then I started taking action.

Part of my work was a project in the Pacific Island nations. During the delivery of this project, the home and neighbourhood of a colleague from Kiribati was inundated from a combination of storm surges and rising sea levels. He asked whether the good work we were doing through the project was balanced by the harm created by emissions of the flights required to deliver the project.

Assessment

Through clinical assessment we get an understanding of what is actually happening. I wanted a similar understanding about this scenario. What harm was my work doing? My colleague’s question made me complete an emissions inventory. It showed he was right. Work was by far the biggest emitter in my life, due primarily to flights and road travel.

Evidence-based practice

I could draw on skills in reviewing the literature to deliver practice that was evidence-based, to assist with reviewing the research and information available.

The information available from the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change was useful in giving a direction for change. The latest information around mitigation provides evidence-based targets based on the range of climate change modelling available.

“To limit warming to 1.5°C (>50 per cent) with no or limited overshoot” (2022, p2) there needs to be a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 levels by between 34 per cent and 60 per cent by 2030. This range is the spread between the fifth and 95th percentiles of the climate change modelling reviewed. The median reduction in this range is 43 per cent.

Climateworks Australia (2022) also helped with identifying potential strategies. They have described the “four pillars of decarbonisation” (p30). These are:

• Energy waste reduction, including through productivity and a shift away from energy-intensive products and services; • 100 per cent renewable electricity; • Electrification and a shift away from fossil fuels to zero or near-zero emissions; • Non-energy emissions reductions and offsetting of residual emissions (p30).

Re-assessment of an emissions inventory... halved over 12 months... working locally. This was significantly faster than anticipated. Strategies have an impact.

Goal setting

With this information, I could start answering questions such as:

• What would it look like if this wasn’t a problem? • What if I practised in a way that had zero or near-zero emissions?

These questions, along with information gathered from reviewing the evidence set the initial goal of reducing current emissions generated through my work by more than half by 2030.

Action plan

Based on the goal, information gathered through initial assessment and evidence, the initial action that was achievable and likely to have the biggest impact for my situation was a “shift away from energy intensive products and services”. This meant transitioning from working with international and national organisations to a local occupational therapy practice with my partner.

Outcome Measures

A key part of therapy is checking that our strategies have an impact. Re-assessment of an emissions inventory showed emissions were more than halved over 12 months through the impact of working locally. This was significantly faster than anticipated.

Review

This led to a review and asking “What’s next?” and “How do we build on this?” Answers to these questions led to a change in the goal. This saw a shift from focusing on my personal situation to my business and further reductions. Our goal is now a practice that has net zero emissions by 2030.

Our actions changed, with a focus on a shift away from fossil fuels to zero or near zero-emissions (Climateworks Australia, 2020, p30). We have bought electric work vehicles powered by renewable energy. This has been a staged approach, but we now have electric work vehicles for all work-related travel. In our next review, this should mean our practice no longer directly emits any carbon emissions.

Conclusions

As therapists, we respect there are different ways for a person to make change, and not necessarily one right way. The skills that we have as occupational therapists to support change, can be used by individuals, businesses and organisations to make their own decisions to take actions to move to a net zero emissions way of delivering occupational therapy.

www.growoccupationaltherapy.com.au

References can be viewed by scanning the QR code

The launch of the OTs in Action Social Groups supports our members on the issues of Climate Change, LGBTQI+ and Cultural Diversity. To learn more, visit https://otaus.com.au/member-resources/social-justice-groups or email damien.pitts@otaus.com.au

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