Creating a Sustainable Planet

Pharmaceutical drug waste is a global issue that harms fish and wildlife in our waterways.

While pharmaceuticals are critical to human health and well-being, they are not fully biodegradable, and when they are ultimately flushed away, they can have profound effects on wildlife. Even everyday caffeine can be harmful once it reaches the waterways.

That’s why an international team of researches, including McMaster’s Karen Kidd, the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Environment and Health in the department of Biologiy, are calling for the development of greener drugs that are both effective for their users and are able to break down quickly in the environment.

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How the United Nations’ Pact for the Future could help heal a fractured world

Bonny Ibhawoh, Vice-Provost, International Affairs at McMaster University, works with the United Nations as an independent expert on the right to development. And he’s confident that the UN’s Pact for the Future will guide international action to resolve current crises and shift the focus to the future.

“While it would be easy and even understandable to be pessimistic about the world’s challenges, especially as every tick of the clock pulls us closer to catastrophe, we must also remember that this is a time of great hope,” says Ibhawoh.

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Exploring the connections between climate change and health care

Myles Sergeant is an assistant clinical professor in McMaster’s department of family medicine who is deeply involved in efforts locally, provincially and nationally to reverse the effects of climate change.

“Our sector needs to focus not just on the cost or quality of a product,” says Sergeant. “We need to push our suppliers to be transparent about their carbon footprint, enforce procuring from sustainable suppliers and also make changes to adopt a circular economy.”

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