2020 Health Care Climate Challenge in GGHH Connect

The 2020 Health Care Climate Challenge in GGHH Connect challenges experts from leading health systems to accelerate large-scale change in the health sector. This activity allows participants to meet, teach, and learn from each other’s experiences, thereby accelerating achievement of carbon reduction goals across borders. GGHH Connect, a multilingual Internet platform, houses resources and tools to assist members in their work, including: teams of experts on energy, waste, water, buildings; a growing library of case studies from around the globe; and guidance documents.

Fast facts:

In South Korea, Yonsei University Health System is aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. Energy efficiency measures already saved the system USD 1.7 million and reduced emissions by 5,316 tonnes of CO2 in 2011 alone;
In the United States, Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest United States health care providers is deploying efficiency and renewables to reach a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020;
In England, the National Health Service, Public Health and Social Care System has similarly committed to reducing its carbon footprint by at least 34% by 2020.

The problem

Hospitals and health systems, particularly in more industrialized settings, have a significant carbon footprint that require mitigation strategies.

The solution

2020 Challenge participants use Hippocrates, an ICT tool to set carbon reduction targets, measure their footprint and track progress. The tool uses an online reporting system that combines data forms, a customer relationship management system and dashboards with graphs and impact analysis. It allows individual hospitals or health systems to analyze their emissions and compare their efforts regionally and globally.

By sharing emissions reduction targets and techniques on GGHH Connect, and by measuring their reduction online, hospitals can accelerate implementation of significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Low carbon strategies can also strengthen health systems in low resource settings. For instance, small rural facilities can meet all their energy needs with solar panels and backup batteries.

Helping the planet

By reducing its carbon footprint and fostering greater resiliency, the healthcare sector is contributing to a series of health, economic and social co-benefits that improve the health of the population. For instance, fossil fuel combustion associated with energy use in buildings and transportation produces not only reduces global warming gasses such as carbon dioxide, but also a series of other pollutants that add to the environmental burden of disease.

Helping people

By participating in the 2020 Challenge, the health sector commits to play a leadership role in mitigating climate change – reducing its magnitude and consequences – by getting its own house in order, helping societies adapt to the effects of climate change and the risk it poses to human health, while advocating for policies that foster a healthy transition to clean, renewable energy.

Scaling up

This activity plans to recruit dozens more hospitals and health systems representing hundreds, if not thousands more hospitals and health centers who are either already engaged on climate, or who are ready to commit. They will further scale-up across the health sector, recruiting thousands of hospitals and health centers from the GGHH Network and beyond to participate in the 2020 Challenge and move toward low carbon healthcare.