Solution not pollution!

Abstract

Public awareness of environmental issues has been increasing over recent years. While this has always been an important topic for discussion, the warnings of climate change have been catapulted into the spotlight with famous environmental activists such as David Attenborough. In the NHS, there have been efforts to tackle a climate ‘health emergency’ for several years. Currently, the NHS produces much higher emissions for healthcare than the global average. It therefore comes as no surprise that something has to change. This change began with a nationwide NHS initiative to tackle the climate emergency and reduce the environmental footprint of the NHS. This paper discusses the current issues of environmental waste in the NHS as well as ways to reduce its impact on the planet.