Strategy for net-zero carbon surgery
Chantelle Rizan, Mahmood F. Bhutta
Abstract
Planetary health is at a tipping point, with climate change threatening the well-being of current and future generations owing to extreme weather events, air pollution, food and water insecurity, climate-sensitive infectious diseases, and forced migration 1 . These disproportionately affect people living in low-income countries, and those of poorer socioeconomic status 2 , widening inequalities and global injustice. Paradoxically, provision of healthcare generates 4.4 per cent of global net carbon emissions 3 . The National Health Service (NHS) in England has shown leadership by pledging to become the first net-zero carbon national health service by 2040 4 , calling on all NHS workforce members to help achieve this.Surgery, and in particular the operating theatre, is resource-intensive, using large quantities of single-use consumables and generating associated waste. A study 5 examining operating suites in Canada, the USA, and the UK found that a typical operation has a carbon footprint of 146-232 kg carbon dioxide equivalents, comparable to emissions from driving 400-700 miles in an average car. Carbon hotspots in an operation include consumable equipment, anaesthetic gases, and energy 6 .