What can the world learn from the NHS on sustainable healthcare and net-zero emissions?

The NHS has committed to a net-zero target in 2040, for the carbon emissions that they control directly and a target of 2045 for the broader emissions they can influence. So why is the NHS doing this? It has heeded the science pointing to the climate emergency as the biggest health threat of the 21st century. Nine in ten NHS staff say that they want to see the NHS act more sustainably. What is a net-zero target? As the title suggests Net Zero emissions mean achieving a balance between the production and removal of Green House Gas emissions (GHG). For the NHS this requires actions to remove emissions across an ambitious and wide supply chain... from buildings to pharmaceuticals, MRI scanners, syringes, inhalers, and so on. It also includes the emissions that come from the patients, from visitors, from travel to and from the NHS, and from emissions well beyond the borders of the UK. So how will this be achieved? The NHS has an 80% reduction target by 2028. Most importantly, it will only commit to companies that meet or exceed their commitments on climate change. It has approved a national design for a hydrogen ambulance, the world’s first zero-emission ambulance, and new hospitals, with a visionary goal of being net-zero hospitals. Action is what is needed to improve the health of our community.

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