Comment on this storyComment Narrated audio|Listen6 min Physicians, nurses and other front-line providers know firsthand the health impacts of climate change. Air pollution exacerbates asthma and emphysema; extreme heat worsens heart and kidney conditions; and rising temperatures increase the occurrence of a wide range of illnesses, including mosquito-borne infections and depression. That’s why it’s so shocking to learn that health care itself is a major contributor to climate change. In the United States, the health sector is responsible for nearly 9 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gases. Researchers estimate that the environmental harm caused by medical care ultimately costs as many lives as preventable medical errors, which are responsible for…