Carbon offsetting was introduced by United Nations (UN) linking the carbon market with sustainable development introduced in Kyoto protocol in 1997. The concept is related with the reduction or removal of atmospheric carbon emissions in private or public organizations.

Use of existing compliance or voluntary mechanisms for carbon offsetting can facilitate the achievement of net zero carbon emission hospitals allowing the offsetting of any remaining carbon emissions in them at affordable cost.

Offsetting carbon emissions

Offsetting carbon emissions can help private or public organizations, including hospitals,  to achieve the net zero carbon emissions target. The organization after reducing its energy consumption and replacing part of fossil fuels used with renewable energies can offset any remaining carbon emissions purchasing carbon credits from carbon emission trading schemes. Offsetting carbon emissions is an additional tool for companies and organizations to achieve climate change mitigation targets. The concept of offsetting carbon emissions with three mechanisms was firstly proposed by UN under the Kyoto protocol in 1997. 

The mechanisms for carbon offsetting

These three mechanisms are: a) the clean development mechanism (CDM), b) the joint implementation (JI), and c) the emissions trading (ET).  The first two are related with project development while the third is related with carbon emissions trading. Clean developing mechanism allows to a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment  to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries.  Joint implementation allows in a country to invest jointly in a clean energy project in another country. In this way countries can lower the cost of complying with their carbon emission targets by investing in cheaper projects located in other countries. Emissions trading allows to countries that have emission units to spare – emissions permitted them but not “used” – to sell this excess capacity to countries .  Nowadays various organizations create and realize carbon offsetting projects in developing countries.

Activities and projects that are usually considered for carbon offsetting in hospitals

Various projects might be selected for carbon offsetting in hospitals. These include:

1. Projects improving energy efficiency,
2. Projects promoting the use of renewable energies,
3. Projects preventing wastes going to landfills, and
4. Projects protecting existing forests avoiding deforestation or promoting afforestation.

Other projects considered for carbon offsetting might include:

1. Projects promoting fuel switching to less polluting fuels,
2. Projects promoting geological sequestration,
3. Projects promoting methane gas destruction,
4. Projects promoting wetland preservation and restoration, and
5. Projects promoting carbon sequestration into the soil.