To assist the medical community in mitigating the effects of climate change, the Health Promotion Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), established the Task Force on HPH and Environment in April of 2010, approved by the General Assembly of the International Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services Network (International HPH Network), with Director General Dr. Shu-Ti Chiou taking the lead. The task force collaborated with international NGOs (Health Care Without Harm), the International HPH Network and Taiwan’s medical community to promote sustainable hospital operations and environments, both domestic and globally, in order to realize the World Health Organization’s vision of HPH, Climate and Environment.

The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) began the work by organizing a pledge ceremony in 2010, calling on medical institutions to reduce their total carbon dioxide emission by 13% in the year 2020. This is equivalent to planting trees that would take up about 34 Central Parks of New York City.

A total of 128 hospitals joined the call in 2010, and members from different countries improve their energy efficiency and create a greener environment, personnel, patients, the environment, and the local community all benefit.

To date:

• Hospital: 174
• Health Services: 1
• Affiliated Members: 3

The HPH & Environment (Task Force) is a panel of health care providers, researchers and activist that provides evidence-based findings and visualising environment-related health promotion issues in existing HPH Models and tools. Advisory group and general members represent a broad range of research, practice, and policy expertise in public health, health promotion, climate change, environmental sustainability and protection.