Why hospitals should zero their carbon footprint
Hospitals should minimize or zero their carbon footprint due to energy use for many reasons including:
- It is profitable. They can reduce their annual operating costs and they can spend more for better treatment of patients,
- They will comply with international policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation,
- They will increase their energy security and self-sufficiency,
- They will improve their image in the local society creating a clean energy hub in the local community,
- They will promote energy investments and jobs creation,
- They will increase their resilience in extreme weather events and in electricity outages,
- They will be secured against future increases in the price of fuels and electricity.
Zeroing net-carbon emissions,
due to energy use in hospitals is technically feasible and economically viable. The required energy saving technologies as well as many low or zero carbon emission technologies are mature, reliable, well-proven and cost-efficient. The existing legal framework in many countries favors the de-carbonization of existing hospitals and healthcare facilities while there are many financial instruments and mechanisms allowing funding of the necessary sustainable energy investments. There are also several carbon offsetting schemes allowing to offset any remaining carbon emissions in hospitals and healthcare facilities achieving carbon neutrality.
Achievement of net-zero emission hospitals complies with the 7th Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations for “Affordable and Clean Energy“, the 11th Sustainble Development Goal for “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and the 13th Sustainable Development Goal goal for “Climate Action“.
Energy demand
in hospitals is high compared with other types of private and public buildings. They utilize mainly fossil fuels and grid electricity in their daily operations while the use of renewable energies in heat and electricity generation is very low.
Climate change,
consists of the most important environmental problem worldwide causing many environmental and economic disasters in poor, developing and developed countries. Mitigation of climate change requires the replacement of fossil fuels used in energy generation with low or zero carbon emissions electricity and fuels. European Union as well as many other countries have decided to zero net-carbon emissions due to energy use into the atmosphere by 2050. Coping with climate change requires the adaptation of vulnerable infrastructure particularly of those that offer healthcare services to ill and disable patients like hospitals.
Adaptation to climate change,
requires to increase their resilience in extreme weather events of these vulnerable institutions. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are complex organizations operating continuously all over the year consuming large amounts of energy and fuels in their premises.
