Healthcare's Contribution to Carbon - Facts & Actions

Healthcare Carbon Facts To Inspire Change

• Globally healthcare is responsible for 5% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• In developed countries, like Ireland, healthcare greenhouse gas emissions amount to as much as 10% of national totals.
• ‍Ireland is not on track to meet the 2030 EU Effort Sharing Regulations (ESR) of 42% reduction (versus 2005) by 2030.  It's looking more like 10%. ‍
• Healthcare needs to integrate short-term and medium-term human health. e.g., Some medical gases, such as inhaler propellants have very high MtCO2e and high global warming potentials.
  
  • MtCO₂e stands for million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Ambient air pollution causes an ~4.2 million premature deaths annually worldwide.
• 50- 70% of healthcare emissions are derived from the healthcare supply chain, i.e.,scope 3 emissions.
• Disposables, equipment (medical & non-medical) & pharmaceuticals represented the higher percentages in scope 3, i.e. upstream and downstream emissions.
• Up to one-third of waste disposed is misclassified as "healthcare risk waste", incurring unnecessary financial and environmental costs.

Immediate Carbon Reduction Ideas for Healthcare Clinics & Hospitals

1. For electricity, switch hospital and clinic electricity to renewable sources of energy by using 100% clean, renewable electricity available from multiple providers. (This covers 100% of your scope 2 emissions!)
2. For new facilities, build zero-emissions energy-efficient healthcare buildings and infrastructure. Heating and cooling buildings unnecessary not only costs money, it costs carbon too.
3. For existing facilities, get an energy audit. Sure, it's not as good as a carbon audit or sustainability management software but it's fast, cost efficient, and gets you going.
4. For building and energy systems upgrades in Ireland, be sure to ask your facilitates team or office manager to explore SEAI grants for private healthcare providers.
5. For day clinics, implement a last-person-out end of day checklist to switch off screens, diagnostic equipment and more. Allocate to one person per shift.
6. For transport, use active or public transport to get to work, transition to zero-emissions vehicles and promote sustainable travel options.
7. For food, provide healthy, sustainably grown seasonal local food and reduce food waste. Eat less red meat. Choose/Offer aplant-based meals. Remove disposal cups, cutlery and the like.
8. For waste, make sure to use the correct bin, implement sustainable waste management and circular economy principles. (Yellow clinical bins are commonly contaminated with general waste which increases costs and emissions.)
9. For surgery, implement the green theatre checklist to reduce waste before, during and after surgery.
10. For surgery, desflurane may represent 30–50% of a surgical facility's entire carbon. It has 'global warming potential' 6,810 times that of CO₂. Switch it out. It's a healthcare sustainability project that really worth it.
11. For procurement of supplies, include sustainable emissions in tender criteria. Ask suppliers if they have a carbon reduction plan. Request recyclable packaging and avoid air freight were possible.
12. For pharmaceuticals, request, chose and use lower carbon alternatives.
13. For longer term improvement, appoint a sustainability lead to form a sustainability working group.
14. To stay inspired, imagine how many people put something into the correct waste bin today. Hint: It's over a million tonnes of household waste and households in Ireland almost a perfect score. Keep Going. You're in good company! Tomorrow's respiratory patients will thank you.

Informed by and with thanks to the Medical Independent