GLOBAL PICTURE · VERIFIED 2026-08-31

One planet, one operating theatre.

Q: Why does the US healthcare share (7.6%-8.5%) vary so much?

Different baselines: HCWH's 2019 analysis of 2014 data vs Health Affairs' 2020 update using 2018 data. Both are cited rather than averaged.

Q: Do all 100 ATACH countries have net-zero targets?

No. ATACH membership means commitment to low-carbon health systems; 50+ members have set explicit net-zero dates. The ATACH commitment tracker is the primary source.

Q: Is the department ledger still England-centric?

The CO₂e figures come from English studies because England publishes the most complete data, but the actions travel internationally. Each department page names its evidence source.

Healthcare emits 4.4% of the world's greenhouse gases. This page puts the department-level ledger in its planetary frame — country commitments, national footprints, and the decade everything is supposed to change.

Country-by-country Department ledger

A wide assembly hall with tiered delegates' seating and country nameplates — WHERE THE COMMITMENTS ARE MADE · 100 COUNTRIES IN ATACH, OCT 2025

4.4%

of global net emissions come from healthcare

HCWH 2019

2.0Gt

CO₂e per year — the fifth-largest 'country' if healthcare were one

HCWH 2019

100

countries & areas committed to low-carbon health systems via ATACH

WHO OCT 2025

2040–50

net-zero window: NHS 2040/45, Germany 2045, most of EU + Australia 2050

ATACH TRACKER

COUNTRY LEDGER

Where green healthcare stands.

Every row is a verifiable commitment or measurement — not a vibe. *Share of national footprint where measured; absolute footprints differ.

Country / region	Healthcare share	Milestone	Year	Source
World	4.4%	2.0 Gt CO₂e — fifth-largest emitter if healthcare were a country	2019	HCWH/ARAMCO global report
European Union	—	First net-zero health systems bloc target: 2050 (climate law)	2021	European Climate Law
United Kingdom	4.4%	World's first national health service with statutory net-zero plan	2020	NHS England
United States	7.6%–8.5%	Joint Commission Sustainable Healthcare Certification launched	2024	Health Affairs / TJC
Netherlands	7%–8%	Green Deal Duurzame Zorg 3.0: −55% CO₂ by 2030 vs 2018, neutral 2050	2018	RVO / ZonMw
Australia	7%	First National Health and Climate Strategy, launched at COP28	2023	Australian Govt Dept Health
China	1.5%*	342 Mt CO₂e absolute — second-largest healthcare footprint after the US	2019	HCWH global report
India	1.5%*	Committed at COP26 to climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems	2021	ATACH / WHO
100 countries & areas	—	ATACH alliance members committed to low-carbon health systems	2025	WHO, Oct 2025

Sources verified 2026-08-31. The three largest healthcare footprints — US (546 Mt), China (342 Mt), EU (248 Mt) — together comprise 56% of the world total (HCWH 2019). Net-zero targets: Germany 2045, UK 2040 (NHS controlled) / 2045 (scope 3), Netherlands and Australia 2050. India's 1.5% share is low but its system is growing fastest.

THE PICTURE

Challenge, paradox, opportunity.

Three facts frame every department ledger on this site.

The scale

4.4% of global net emissions — 2 Gt CO₂e — come from healthcare. If the sector were a country it would rank fifth. The US alone accounts for 546 Mt, more than any other nation's health system.

The paradox

The sector whose mission is 'first, do no harm' drives the crisis it treats: 71% of its footprint sits in the supply chain — pharmaceuticals, single-use devices, freight — beyond any single hospital's control.

The opportunity

The supply chain is also the opening: WHO counts 100 countries in ATACH committing to low-carbon health systems; net-zero targets cluster at 2040–2050. Healthcare procurement is becoming climate policy.

The three largest healthcare footprints (Mt CO₂e, 2019)

Where the sector's 2 Gt actually sits (share of footprint)

FROM PLANET TO PRACTICE

The globe sets the deadline. Your department sets the pace.

START HERE

The department ledger

Five departments, every action graded A–C with its CO₂e saving.

HIGHEST YIELD

Operating theatres

The most carbon-dense room in any hospital, in any country.

METHOD

How we grade

What A, B and C mean — and how to log your department's numbers.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Asked about the global picture.

Why does the US healthcare share (7.6%–8.5%) vary so much?

Different baselines. The 7.6% figure is HCWH's 2019 analysis of 2014 data; 8.5% is Health Affairs' 2020 update using 2018 data and a refined expenditure-to-emissions model. Both are cited on this page rather than averaging them away.

HCWH 2019 · HEALTH AFFAIRS 2020

Do all 100 ATACH countries have net-zero targets?

No. ATACH membership means a country has committed to work on climate-resilient, low-carbon health systems. Within that, 50+ have set explicit net-zero dates — Germany 2045, Netherlands and Australia 2050 among them. The commitment tracker at atachcommunity.com is the primary source.

ATACH COMMITMENT TRACKER

Is the department ledger still England-centric?

The CO₂e savings in the ledger come from English studies because England publishes the most complete public data — but the actions themselves travel: desflurane exits and inhaler switches are running in the US, Netherlands, Australia and beyond. Each department page notes where the evidence comes from.

DEPARTMENT PAGES · SOURCE BOXES