Health Minister Eluned Morgan looks at how the NHS can decarbonise

AS THE largest public sector emitter of CO2 in Wales, I want to see our NHS play its part to protect the health and wellbeing of future generations.

The NHS in Wales is on the frontline in responding to climate change and its impacts on our health. This is why we have a national strategy in place to help decarbonise our healthcare service including introducing more electric vehicles, low-carbon lighting in all NHS buildings and reducing the use of harmful gases.

But there is more that we can do individually to help with this effort and create a fairer and greener Wales. Small changes to the way we use the NHS in Wales will make a huge difference.

Returning unused medication to your pharmacy so it is correctly disposed of, asking your GP or pharmacist for a more sustainable inhaler or using active or public transport to attend your appointments will collectively make a significant impact.

Health boards and local authorities make sure there are direct bus routes to hospitals, park and ride facilities and plenty of bicycle parking facilities to enable as many people as possible to get to their appointments in an environmentally-friendly way. Cycling and walking are better for our health and better for the planet.

We have also recently asked NHS organisations to come up with small to mediumsized initiatives which will help reduce carbon emissions or help the sector adapt to the impacts of climate change.

These ambitious project ideas will be granted a share of £2.4m as part of our commitment to tackle climate change.

I know that our healthcare workers recognise that the work to improve people’s health extends beyond their clinics and hospitals and they have some brilliant ideas on how best to reduce emissions.

We hope these new project ideas from health boards and NHS organisations will reduce carbon emissions in the NHS in Wales by more than a third by 2030.

These activities will support delivery of the 46 initiatives we already have in place to help NHS Wales meet its contribution to the 2030 ambition. This in turn will help Wales meet our total legislative target of Net Zero by 2050.

One of the ways NHS Wales is working to reduce carbon emissions is by reducing the use of high global warming potential (GWP) inhalers from more than 70 per cent to less than 20 per cent by 2025.

People who use inhalers can ask their prescriber to switch their regular inhaler to a low-carbon alternative.

NHS organisations can find out more about the climate emergency fund or request a funding application form by contacting hsc.climateemergency@gov. wales