AI Insight
This commentary discusses how the US-Israel war on Iran highlights vulnerabilities in the global healthcare supply chain, which has become heavily dependent on fossil fuels and petrochemicals. The healthcare sector relies on coal, oil, and gas not only for powering facilities but also as integral components in the production, composition, and distribution of essential medical products including vaccines, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices.
Why it matters
Geopolitical conflicts and disruptions to fossil fuel supplies can directly threaten the availability and delivery of essential healthcare products and services worldwide. This dependency creates a systemic vulnerability that affects patient care and public health infrastructure globally, particularly during crises.
In addition to its direct toll on human lives and public health,1 the US–Israel war on Iran is a stark reminder of the global economy’s vulnerability to disruption. One sector feeling the impacts is health care, which has evolved to be highly dependent on fossil fuels and petrochemicals across its operations and supply chain. In most places coal, oil, and gas power patient care and are integral to the composition, production, and distribution of health products, such as vaccines, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices.
Source: [Comment] Climate, war, and the global health-care supply chain