Greener NHS: School for change
November 17, 2022
The climate crisis is a health emergency. That’s why SWB is taking action to build a #GreenerNHS
- In 2020 the NHS became the world’s first health service to announce a plan to become net zero, with two targets
- To be net zero by 2040 for directly controlled emissions
- To be net zero by 2045 for emissions that the NHS influences
Climate change is a health emergency. More than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes. Air pollution is the single greatest environmental threat to health in the UK, contributing to one in 20 deaths and increased cases of asthma, cancer and heart disease.
Contributing around 4% of UK emissions, or 40% of public sector emissions, the NHS is both a part of the challenge and the solution; it must tackle climate change at source if it is to protect the health of its patients and the communities it serves.
The new, amended Health and Care Bill now places a duty on NHS organisations to deliver net zero and take action to mitigate against the impacts of climate change in their operations, making the NHS the first healthcare system to embed net zero in legislation.
Every ICB and all 212 NHS trusts in England – including more than 1,000 hospitals and healthcare facilities – now have a green plan in place which together will cut more than 1m tonnes of carbon emissions in the next three years, the equivalent of taking 520,000 cars off the road.
There is overwhelming support for a Greener NHS across the system and 9 in ten staff support the NHS net zero ambition (You Gov, 2022).
Supplier alignment is essential to deliver on net zero. From April this year, all NHS tenders must include a minimum 10% weighting for net zero and social value. From April 2023, all suppliers of contracts above £5M will be required to have a carbon reduction plan.
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