NHS aims to become world’s first “net zero” health service by 2040

The NHS in England has committed itself to becoming “net zero” for greenhouse gas emissions for the care it provides and has set a target of 2040 to achieve this.

The NHS has control over certain emissions, such as those produced by its services, buildings, and vehicles, and it will take until 2028 to 2032 to reduce these by 80% and until 2040 to eliminate them, says a report it commissioned.1

It will take a further five years, until 2045, to reach “net zero” for all the emissions over which the NHS has influence, such as those relating to its supply chain and travel of patients and staff.

The 2040 and 2045 targets are “feasible,” says the report. It sets out the conclusions of an expert panel chaired by Nick Watts from the Lancet Countdown, a collaboration of experts who work to ensure that health is at the centre of how governments understand …