Should I Stay or Should I Go?: The Environmental Cost of Medical Electives Hannah Chase
(Green Templeton College, 2018)
Sarah Peters
(Somerville College, 2016)
Over the past 3 years our work on Education for Sustainable Healthcare projects has made us increasingly aware of the impacts on health the climate crisis is already having worldwide. Thus, as our electives approached, the stark difference in the carbon footprint of flying afar compared to staying on British soil presented a moral dilemma. We made different decisions: Sarah decided to stay in the UK, working on the ‘Bleeding Green’ project which focuses on reducing waste in the clinical skills lab here at Oxford, and with a team in London looking at the environmental impacts of propofol. She also spent time in the emergency department at the Horton hospital and finally 8 days walking the 99-mile Beacons Way trail. Hannah flew abroad and lived with a family in Nepal. She split her time between shadowing a general surgeon in a tertiary government Hospital in Kathmandu and a GP in a rural hospital in Charikot 6 hours East of the capital. She also spent her week’s down-time in nature, on a trek to Annapurna Base Camp. How easy was the decision to fly or not to fly? S: For me it was straightforward. 2 years ago I committed to only flying under exceptional circumstances. Although there is much debate over the purpose and impact of individual lifestyle choices as a method of tackling climate change, for as long as I have been involved in climate action, I have seen my own lifestyle as an integral part of my campaign for greater
systemic solutions. H: I deliberated hard on whether it was still morally acceptable in 2022 to fly abroad as a white privileged Brit to a developing country. I find it impossible to justify my decision at any academic level. Return flights to Nepal are four times the carbon footprint of what individuals should be aiming for per year to achieve effective mitigation of climate degradation. I try and lead by example and this felt completely hypocritical against the work I have been doing. At the end of the day it was an emotional, selfish, decision to take a once in a lifetime opportunity - 2 months of immersion in a completely different culture, at home and in healthcare.
“
Ultimately, air travel is unequivocally damaging to the planet’s health.
On reflection was it the right personal decision for you? S: Yes. I gained hugely from my elective without the need for flying. It was fantastic to have time exclusively devoted to sustainability projects, which are usually stuffed around the sides of all my other medical school commitments. The exceptional supervision and experience I gained at the Horton as really boosted my confidence for starting as an F1 doctor. Completing the entirety of Beacons Way was such a gift - an opportunity for reflection and powerfully presented to me the importance of what we are working to save. H: Yes. I had such a rich experience in all aspects of life and healthcare in Nepal with emotional and physical experiences that reading no book would never replicate. From
Charicot farewell, Nepal
Oxford Medicine | Spring/Summer 2022 45
