A guide to sustainability in veterinary practice

As citizens and custodians of this planet, we all have a social responsibility to do our bit to reduce our impact on the climate change crisis. In July 2023, the United Nations secretary general warned ‘the era of global warming has ended, the era of global boiling has arrived’. With statements like this in the press, the scale of the climate change disaster we are all facing is no secret. Unless we act now, global temperatures are set to rise by 2.5°C to 4.5°C by 2100, having devastating, irreversible repercussions on our climate, weather systems, land and resource use, and biodiversity.

Barack Obama has been quoted saying ‘We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.’ He was right. Doing nothing about climate change is no longer an option.

This is why taking action to embed sustainability in veterinary practice is so important. This guide will help you see how veterinary professionals can make a difference and take action to make veterinary practices more environmentally sustainable and a more climate-positive place to work.