Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions within U.S. healthcare.

The US recently set a goal to not only reach net-zero emissions by 2050 in airports, but to also achieve a 30% reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030 in healthcare. The US has taken its first steps towards climate resilience by rolling out new technologies to more than 600,000 hospitals, protecting public health and reducing costs. The health sectors emit 8.5% of greenhouse gases per year, so reducing this figure will greatly help the entire country to achieve their sustainability goals.

Why is it important that the healthcare sector strive to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions?

Recent years have shown that our health resources are quite limited and to prevent them from being completely depleted, one of the goals we must strive for is net zero. With 9 million people dying globally each year from air pollution, the commitment of hospitals to zero emissions is important because healthcare is responsible for nearly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions; the carbon footprint equivalent to 514 coal-fired power plants. If the sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest polluter on Earth. Therefore, setting a target will help the healthcare sector get rid of or reduce emissions, and can help save more energy and money.

How American companies reacted to the government announcement:

Two of the top five US private hospitals and healthcare systems (Ascension and Common Spirit Health) and the largest US public health system have pledged to halve their carbon emissions by 2030. Leading health care providers such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca have stepped up to achieve net zero emissions before the 2050 pledge deadline. Major medical associations, including America’s major hospitals, the American Association of Medical Colleges and the National Academy of Medicine, have pledged to take action to combat climate change. In total, after the announcement of the new plan, 61 companies supported it.

How can hospitals achieve a net-zero carbon goal?

From my view point, the best plan is to minimize consumption first on the demand side and then generate the required energy in a clean, renewable way on the supply side. The biggest problem in hospitals is the excessive consumption of electricity and lighting. Hospitals have many rooms, staff, and patients, and because of this, excessive consumption of electricity very often occurs. But for example, automatic occupancy sensors, dimmers and timers are components of a lighting control system which can help to save energy. The second most energy intensive in the hospital is the HVAC system. Most HVAC use an “economizer cycle” which uses cold outside air to cool the building instead of running the air conditioning compressor, allowing additional control of the hospital room temperature but resulting in excessive energy consumption.It also affects the fact that often HVAC systems are used in rooms which are unoccupied.

Arloid AI can help the U.S. Healthcare achieve zero carbon faster, allowing them to reduce and optimize their HVAC usage, which will also save money on the hospital maintenance. Our Arloid Automation office will be happy to answer any questions and tell you more about how your company can work towards net-zero goals! Let’s take another step towards a greener future!