Climate Awareness Among Healthcare Students: an Educational Study on Carbon Footprint and Climate Change Awareness

Climate change is considered one of the most fundamental threats to global public health in the 21st century, making it imperative that university students, who will be the healthcare professionals of the future, have a comprehensive awareness of this issue. Since the university period is a critical stage where individuals build their professional identities and assume social responsibility, equipping the younger generation with climate literacy is vital for a sustainable future. The younger generation, in addition to being the group most exposed to the long-term effects of the climate crisis, also has the potential to be agents of change in solution processes. Healthcare students hold a strategic position in this process; the healthcare sector is responsible for approximately 4-5% of global carbon emissions, and students in this field being able to manage their own carbon footprint forms a foundation for implementing "green hospital" practices in the future . Furthermore, understanding the relationship between climate change and health risks such as increased respiratory illnesses, vector-borne diseases, and food insecurity will enable these students, who will be among the most trusted professional groups in society, to play a transformative role in both clinical practice and public health advocacy. Therefore, carbon footprint and climate awareness training for healthcare students is not only about creating environmental awareness but also an academic and ethical step towards making healthcare systems more resilient to the climate crisis.