Climate change is having an increasing impact on our daily lives. The need for climate action across all sectors, including healthcare, is becoming ever more evident. The healthcare sector is a significant contributor to CO2 emissions and thus plays a crucial role in the fight against climate change.
The Belgian healthcare sector—including hospitals, residential care centers, preventive medicine, and outpatient care—is responsible for 5% of total emissions. This amounts to 9,901 kilotons of CO2 equivalent per year. Without decisive action, an increase of 61% is expected by 2050, primarily due to rising healthcare demand caused by an aging population and the consequences of global warming.
To tackle this challenge, the federal and regional governments have developed the National Environmental Health Action Plan (NEHAP). From this initiative emerged the study Operation Zero, which provides detailed insight into the distribution of CO2 emissions within the healthcare sector.
Hospitals account for 55% of the total emissions.
Emissions by type of healthcare provider
Goods and services—such as medical supplies, food, office materials, and medication—account for more than 80% of hospital emissions. Pharmaceuticals alone represent 40.8% of the total emissions, partly due to the use of anesthetic gases and aerosol inhalers, which release greenhouse gases. One-fifth of emissions stem from the medical equipment and instruments used.
Percentage of emissions in hospitals by category
Many healthcare institutions are already taking active steps to integrate sustainability and reduce their ecological footprint.
This includes:
- Switching to renewable energy
- Sustainable and energy-efficient building practices
- Waste management and a circular economy in healthcare
- Local and sustainable catering
Through international collaborations, knowledge is shared to learn how other countries are addressing these challenges.
At the 2021 climate summit, Belgium committed to making the healthcare sector climate neutral by 2050. Thanks to Operation Zero, we now have a detailed overview of CO2 emissions within the healthcare sector, which supports both governments and healthcare providers in taking targeted action.