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Roadmap
In 2022 Greener NHS published a guide to delivering a ‘Net Zero’ NHS. This document sets out the carbon footprint of the NHS; outlines direct interventions to decarbonise across five broad headings (estates, transport, supply chain, medicine and research) and outlines approaches required to deliver any reduction including sustainable models of care.
Targets
The target for the emissions controlled directly (the NHS Carbon Footprint), is to be net zero by 2040, with an ambition to reach an 80% reduction by 2028 to 2032.
Anaesthetic Gases
Anaesthetic gases comprise ~2% of the NHS carbon footprint. The target is to lower this by 40% through transforming anaesthetic practice including: switching to low carbon agents e.g. sevoflurane; employing capture / reuse technology and reducing atmospheric release from leftover nitrous gas canisters.
Nitrous Oxide
In addition, the capture and destruction of nitrous oxide could cut over one-third of NHS anaesthetic emissions. This technology has been readily deployed in Sweden for some 16 years and could save an estimated 90 ktCO2e emissions if implemented across 132 high impact trusts in the NHS. Scaled across the entire health service, this could deliver up to a 75% reduction in nitrous emissions.
Finally, significant carbon savings are available by decreasing nitrous oxide wastage, with the College of Paramedics estimating that 30% of nitrous oxide is left in canisters after use.
Greener NHS » Delivering a net zero NHS (england.nhs.uk)