Unit 5
Session duration: 6 academic hours, including:
- Lecture: 2 h,
- Group workshop: 3 h,
- Reflection / Q&A: 1h.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Define the concept of carbon footprint in the context of healthcare systems.
- Identify the main sources of GHG emissions in hospitals, supply chains, pharmaceuticals, and waste.
- Evaluate strategies for greening healthcare operations, logistics, and procurement.
- Analyze international tools and benchmarks for tracking carbon emissions in health.
- Propose local or institutional interventions for reducing healthcare’s environmental impact.
Session format: Workshop-based simulation and decision-making session focused on operational strategy and sustainability metrics
Inclusivity & sustainability focus:
- Encourages systems thinking in green innovation,
- Focus on public vs. private health sector capacity,
- Teaches practical skills for environmental impact measurement and climate-smart operations.
Discussion questions:
1. What are the key contributors to carbon emissions in healthcare systems?
2. How does energy use in hospitals compare to emissions from pharmaceuticals and transport?
3. What are the best practices in sustainable procurement in the health sector?
4. Can a hospital be both technologically advanced and climate neutral?
5. What barriers exist for implementing low-carbon initiatives in healthcare?
The instructor:
- Presents data and visualizations from Health Care Without Harm and NHS England.
- Guides walk-through of a carbon calculator for hospitals.
- Facilitates debate on trade-offs in low-emission health services.
Students:
- Calculate and interpret the carbon footprint of selected hospital activities.
- Group project: develop a “Green Action Plan” for a public hospital.
- Peer-review sustainability strategies proposed by other groups.
- Participate in roleplay: hospital administrator defending carbon reduction investments.
Assignments:
Before the session: 1) Read: “Health Care’s Climate Footprint” (HCWH, 2019) – Executive Summary; 2) Watch: NHS Greener NHS Case Study video (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6IQwMACXkj0uTw3zFxz3XAiJjBYK_F3t)
During the session: 1) Complete carbon audit exercise in groups; 2) Present a mini Green Action Plan.
After the session: 1) Submit Diary #5: “Reducing emissions in the health sector: My vision for our local system” (2 pages); 2) Optional: Upload Action Plan presentation to Moodle.
Recommended reading & resources:
- Health Care Without Harm. (2019). Health Care’s Climate Footprint Report: https://global.noharm.org/media/4361/download?inline=1#:~:text=%E2%80%A2-,Health%20care's%20climate%20footprint%20is%20equivalent%20to%204.4%25%20of%20global,gigatons%20of%20carbon%20dioxide%20equivalent).&text=The%20global%20health%20care%20climate,514%20coal%2Dfired%20power%20plants.
- NHS England. Greener NHS Programme: https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/
- WHO Guidance for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities, 2020: https://www.who.int/publications-detail-redirect/9789240012226.
- WHO New guidance for safe, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable healthcare, 2024: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09119.
- UNDP: Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector (SPHS): https://www.undp.org/eurasia/sustainable-procurement.
- Institute of Medicine (US) Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine. Green Healthcare Institutions: Health, Environment, and Economics: Workshop Summary. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2007. 2, Sustainable Healthcare Facilities. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54143/