Carbon reduction and Net Zero
Climate change the biggest threat to human health
At a Westminster Health Forum policy conference, earlier this year, Dr. Hayley Pinto, Education and Training lead at The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, discussed some of the biggest challenges facing the NHS, in meeting Net Zero targets. She warned that ‘we could consider our collective failure to tackle climate change as a safeguarding issue for an entire generation’.
Giving the opening presentation at the half-day online conference, titled ‘The next steps for Net Zero and sustainability in the NHS’, Dr. Pinto was introduced by the Chair for the first half of the event, MP for Crewe & Nantwich, Dr. Kieran Mullan – who before being elected as an MP in 2019, was an Emergency Medicine Doctor and Clinical lead for Outcomes Publication at the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. He also previously worked at the Patients Association. In 2023, he published a review on the opportunities for Deep Geothermal technology in the UK, for Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. Before welcoming Dr. Pinto, Dr. Mullan gave a brief scene-setting introduction: “The NHS Confederation is asking for an increase from £7.7 bn to £14.1 bn for NHS capital spending. We know there’s funding for decarbonisation via the Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund, but also know that it is heavily oversubscribed,” he commented. Dr. Mullen noted that the Climate
Change Committee recognises heating buildings as ‘one of, if not the biggest, challenges’. “You have almost 1000 hospitals to heat just as a starting point,” he pointed out. “That leaves you facing this challenge of Net Zero by 2040 without the money you might want or need to do it. I’ve developed my own interest in this field – working with the Carbon and Energy Fund to explore how deep geothermal technology can deliver solutions for the NHS. It’s a tried and tested source of clean heat being utilised across Europe, including in healthcare settings, and has great potential in the UK.” He continued: “While I’ve talked a lot about buildings and heat, these aren’t the only challenges we face. It’s also about healthcare products, transport, and waste management.” Dr. Hayley Pinto, a former lead consultant addiction psychiatrist, had gained nearly 30 years’ experience in the NHS and publicly funded services before joining The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare as its Education and
Training lead in 2021. Throughout her career she has been involved in medical education, and was a senior honorary lecturer at the University of East Anglia. She has a Psychology degree, and early in her career completed general practice training before pursuing a psychiatry career. She has been involved in climate education, outreach, and activism for many years. Dr. Pinto explained that she had been asked
to speak on progress on sustainable healthcare delivery, and priorities for meeting the Net Zero targets. She said: “We know from a wealth of evidence that climate change and the collapse of nature are the biggest threats to human health. The Lancet Countdown reports demonstrate that this is not just a problem for the future; already, extreme heat, drought, wildfires, air pollution, floods, storms, the spread of vector and waterborne diseases, increased pandemic risk, and threats to water and food security, are damaging the health and wellbeing of millions of people in every region of the globe. We know there is injustice in the distribution of these impacts, and that those least responsible are bearing the brunt. Even here in the UK,” she continued, “it’s our most deprived communities that are most exposed to air pollution, heat, flooding, and rising food prices, due to climate- related impacts on crop yields. “We also face challenges in maintaining safe delivery of healthcare. Our infrastructure is vulnerable; the 2022 heatwaves saw over 5000 reported incidents of overheating in clinical areas, affecting both patients and staff.” Working at high temperatures can, it is
Dr. Hayley Pinto Dr. Kieran Mullan
acknowledged, impact cognitive functioning – ‘not ideal when making life and death decisions’. Dr. Pinto added: “Hospitals struggled with overheating of scanners and IT systems, and safe medication storage temperatures. Between April 2021 and March 2022, there were 176 flooding incidents at NHS sites, with 10% of our hospitals at risk of flooding.
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Photo courtesy of Dr Kieran Mullan
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