Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in the NHS England: The Impact of Policies on Strategies and Processes

The aim of this PhD/DBA project is to map and evaluate the different policies, strategies and processes of the NHS England with regards to climate change adaptation and mitigation and to measure and suggest improvements on how the health sector contributes to two of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7, Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, and SDG 13, Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

The latest report from the Sustainable Development Unit of the NHS England (2016) estimates that the carbon footprint of the health and care sector represents 39% of public sector emissions in England. At the same time the health sector is strongly contributing to the National Adaptation Programme making sure the health system is resilient and adapted to climate change (Healthcare System Adaptation Report Working Group 2015). NHS England is therefore committed to policies and processes in relation to climate change mitigation (“Technological change and substitution that reduce resource inputs and emissions per unit of output. Although several social, economic and technological policies would produce an emission reduction, with respect to Climate Change, mitigation means implementing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance sinks” IPCC, 2007: page 84) and adaptation (“Initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects ” IPCC, 2007: page 76).

In 2015, countries adopted the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Two of the seventeen goals are dedicated to climate change mitigation and adaptation and each sector is encouraged to contribute to these global goals. This project seeks to develop models representing the efforts of the health sector in England and developing frameworks on how the health sector could contribute successfully to climate change mitigation and adaption.