Is Human Body Disposal an environmental issue?

Despite growing global commitments to addressing climate change, the environmental impacts of human body disposal (HBD) remain poorly understood. In both the UK and the US, the contexts from which this paper is written, HBD is typically framed as a matter of personal choice shaped by preference, tradition, or belief rather than as a cumulative social or environmental concern. Given the relatively small emissions generated by an individual’s disposal, this framing is perhaps unsurprising. Yet when considered collectively, and when broader environmental consequences are included, the environmental impacts of HBD become significantly more substantial. This paper critically examines whether, and how, HBD can be measured, conceptualised, and addressed as a collective environmental issue. In doing so, it identifies the changes required to make the cumulative environmental consequences of HBD more visible to policymakers, industry providers, and the public.