NHS Dumfries and Galloway
responds to the Climate Emergency
In December 2022, NHS Dumfries and Galloway today agreed an approach and programme of work which will see it move to being a net zero greenhouse gas emissions health service by 2040.
The work reflects key milestones which have been set out by the Scottish Government for the NHS across Scotland.
Climate change presents a serious risk to the health of people around the world and has been described by the Lancet Commission on Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change as ‘the biggest global health threat of the 21st century’.
Dumfries and Galloway is not isolated from the impacts of climate change.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway will work across several areas where there it is known there are opportunities to decarbonise and reduce the carbon footprint of the organisation.
Examples include the vehicles that are used, the energy that is used to power buildings, the care pathways that are delivered, the way that waste it dealt with and the gases used in theatres and inhalers.
Finance Director and Executive Lead on the Climate Emergency work Katy Kerr said: “We are at the start of our journey to take NHS Dumfries and Galloway to being net zero by 2040.
“As one of the main employers in the region, we have a real responsibility to change how we do things to reduce our carbon footprint. We know that our greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by changing the way we work and the way we power our estate.
“The NHS is facing unprecedented challenges; our response to the climate emergency needs to be at the heart of how we deal with all of those challenges.”
Marsali Caig is Non-Executive Director and Climate Emergency Board Champion, and she said: “There’s a lot in the media about the climate emergency. Whilst it may not be obvious, the NHS has a real role to play in its response to the significant challenges facing us in relation to climate change.
“We want to get to a place where staff and the patients of NHS Dumfries and Galloway are helping us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We can all do our bit, and, collectively, the NHS can do a lot.”