HCWH, EU 
Background
The global healthcare sector is a major contributor to climate change with a climate footprint equivalent to 4.4% of global net greenhouse gas emissions, which negatively impacts the health of the very communities the sector serves.
The Mediterranean region already faces specific threats from climate change (e.g. extreme heat waves and rising sea levels), but also has many opportunities to prevent or reduce emissions (e.g. solar energy and energy efficient cooling).
This project aims to address these opportunities and challenges and to facilitate the transition to low-carbon healthcare by working with hospitals in the Mediterranean region.
Goals
The Low-carbon healthcare in the Mediterranean Region project aims to help five hospitals from Mediterranean countries (Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Italy) to establish internal carbon management teams and plans, facilitate knowledge and best practice sharing, and also encourage replication across the Mediterranean region through a low-carbon healthcare toolkit that can be used by other hospitals.
Policy recommendations will also be developed and will help to identify the legislative changes necessary to accelerate the transition to low-carbon healthcare in the region.
Impact
The implementation of effective low-carbon strategies in healthcare will directly support the goal of greenhouse gas emissions-neutrality by reducing the volume of emissions produced and providing replicable models for emissions reducing behaviour change. Through developing tailored policy recommendations, the project will help create the enabling environment necessary to accelerate the transition to low-carbon practices in healthcare and beyond.
This project is funded by European Commission (EC)’s LIFE programme and The European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
Additional information:
- Low-carbon healthcare in the Mediterranean Region
- EUKI Interview: Reversing the Negative Health Impacts of the Healthcare Sector
Contact details: Mireia Figueras Alsius, Climate Officer at HCWH Europe, mireia.figuerasalsius@hcwh.org
