Decarbonising national healthcare systems

Representing 4.4% of global net emissions, healthcare's contribution to the climate crisis is significant. Decarbonising our healthcare systems requires action at all levels; from government down to the individual people working in and using our healthcare facilities. But to reduce emissions we must first measure them; an exercise that is typically devolved to individual healthcare facilities. 

Calculating the climate footprint for a national healthcare system is no small task. It requires specialised skills, input from a wide range of stakeholders and good quality data. Despite these challenges, we are now seeing leading governments and health authorities taking their first steps in calculating the national impact of their health sectors.

During this session, we will hear from some of these leaders. Representing health systems from across Europe, our speakers will present their national healthcare climate footprints, and discuss some of the key challenges and opportunities they have experienced in calculating these. We will also learn more about HCWH Europe's flagship climate project, Operation Zero, which aims to develop a methodology that can be used by any national government or healthcare authority to develop a robust climate footprint and net-zero decarbonisation strategy for their healthcare sector.