The carbon footprint of transitioning

[MondayYogurt]

Just saw this:

The dirty business of medicine's carbon footprint – and what we can do about it
Medicine is responsible for more emissions than the car industry, with the worst culprits drugs we use (and overuse) every day

www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/dirty-business-medicines-carbon-footprint-can-do/

And it made me wonder if anyone has worked out the carbon cost of someone transitioning from 18, medicalising for life?

I always thought the green party should be more concerned about excreted hormones making their way into sewage and the environment (from all medical sources)

If you were worried about hormones going into the environment, contraceptive use and factory farming are far, far bigger problems.

This reads as if you are trying to crowbar a hateful attitude towards trans people into any issue.

Yeah I am keeping my hrt thanks.

I had the same immediate reaction, Enid.

I do think, though, that we're going to need to look at whether the (environmental) costs outweigh the (personal) benefits of a lot of treatments and processes.

For me, the benefits of contraception far outweigh the downsides, and the reduction in new humans on the planet is a clearcut social benefit.

I dont think it's a strong argument unless it can be somehow shown that cross sex hormones are objectively harmful to an individual in comparison to hrt where nice guidelines are v clear and indicate benefits.

@EnidFrighten

If you were worried about hormones going into the environment, contraceptive use and factory farming are far, far bigger problems.

This reads as if you are trying to crowbar a hateful attitude towards trans people into any issue.

I think it's more that people see a sick, twisted and extremely dangerous (to those within and those without) ideology, and are looking for any angle to help take it down, as child protection and women's rights don't seem to be good enough reasons on their own to these crazy TRA extremists

The carbon footprint of lifetime medications is a relevant question. I am medication dependent to be functional; without those meds I'd have no life threatening issues but much higher social care needs and inability to earn any kind of living. I would obviously prefer to be mobile if it was only my interests being considered, but it is fair to ask a society which is better, what the comparative costs and options are, and where the lines are where meds have a serious impact in a number of ways. These things may have to be considered in how medicine and ecological survival evolves in practice in the next few years.

There are also relevant ethical questions on creating chronically ill and medication reliant patients when there was a healthy, functional body to begin with. Again, which treatments cause least harm in multiple ways; not just which the patient would prefer.

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

I dont think it's a strong argument unless it can be somehow shown that cross sex hormones are objectively harmful to an individual in comparison to hrt where nice guidelines are v clear and indicate benefits.

Isn't HRT time limited?

www.nhs.uk/conditions/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/

No.

It's not common for it to be life long but there isn't a strict limit.

It was a wider point from me about all the hormones from medications going into the environment, I agree it's a cost benefit balance with all of them whatever they are used for, including HRT and the pill. I also agree with you about farming and their use in animals, along with antibiotics. Personally I choose not to use hormonal contraception and am vegan but maybe one day I will need HRT.
I just find it strange that I have never come across the green party raising this issue of wastewater treatment to try and deal with all these endocrine disruptors. Reading up from the CHEM trust, it seems PFAS's are starting to be recognised as a major issue, they are also endocrine disruptors. I just wish, as an environmental party they would get on with focusing on stuff like this rather than arguing about identify politics.

@EnidFrighten

If you were worried about hormones going into the environment, contraceptive use and factory farming are far, far bigger problems.

This reads as if you are trying to crowbar a hateful attitude towards trans people into any issue.

Contraception prevents another huge huge medical carbon foot print.

Factory farming is a great point. Where are all the feminist hens? Come join MN and learn how to cost the world less.

I read an interesting blog post a few days ago on the trans movement, ecological futures, consumerist desires, our connection to nature and how this ties in with rejection of our sexed bodies:

xxamazons.org/trans-gender-critical/transgender-movement-unfit-for-ecological-future/

"Denial and rejection of the physical realities of one’s body is a sign of a deep and dangerous alienation from nature. The dominant society routinely creates people who are alienated from both internal and external nature and this alienation is another root of the transgender phenomenon."

"The alienation of self increased dramatically during the European Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries. At this time the elevation of mind, reason, prediction and control resulted in the “disenchantment of the world”[8] (and increasing domination of nature and humans with the expansion of patriarchy, colonialism and capitalism). The deeply felt perception that nature (and women) are sacred was further lost in the West."

@EnidFrighten

If you were worried about hormones going into the environment, contraceptive use and factory farming are far, far bigger problems.

This reads as if you are trying to crowbar a hateful attitude towards trans people into any issue.

Surely not on Mumsnet.

There are no hormones used in farming in the UK,so that's something that you don't need to worry about. Antibiotics,well,they are very very expensive,so only used when clinically required,plus they are injected,so not easy to administer.It always amazes me that antibiotics for pets seem to be prescribed really easily,and no one seems to be worried about that at all.

So trans people are responsible for climate change now?

Well, what about the Vietnam War, the fall of Rome, last week’s ‘Strictly’ shock result or the Salisbury train accident? Trans people again, surely.

Thank you, OP, for the best laugh of the week.

Well, it’s certainly an issue that creates more heat than light, RMW.

OP everyone bemoans the carbon footprint of things they themselves don’t do.......

@LaetitiaASD yes but it’s also blindingly obvious and immediately opens just about everyone arguing it to being accurately labelled an enormous hypocrite. Like our Australian pm. Please don’t follow this angle, climate change is a very serious issue and concentrate on genuine changes you can make and impactful changes you can campaign for.

Have a day off.