The recent Lancet Countdown report on Climate Change highlighted the impact of the healthcare sector on global emissions. The report indicates that the total emissions footprint of the global health sector is 5.2% or 2.7 GtCO2e of total global emissions, while contributing to 10% of global GDP. As per Health Care Without Harm, the Indian health sector’s contribution to the country’s total emissions is approximately 2%. While this may seem like a small, the fact that it continues to increase at a rate of approximately 5% every year is a cause for concern. Additionally, the extensive use of anesthetic gases, single use plastics, generation of biomedical waste and a poor substitution uptake of renewables makes the issue more germane. Given that India has committed to a net-zero target by 2070, and international health systems like the UK’s NHS and the US’ Department of Health and Human Services department giving clear reduction and net zero targets, the need for concerted action on decarbonization by the Indian healthcare sector has become an imperative.
