Why it matters (facts & figures)

The NHS produces 3% of all UK carbon dioxide emissions. 2015 data showed that the NHS carbon footprint in England is 22.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents and has seen a reduction of 11% between 2007-2015
Inhalation anaesthetics, such as nitrous oxide, isoflurane, desflurane, and sevoflurane are greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change. These medical gases account for 5% of the carbon dioxide equivalence emissions of acute NHS hospitals
The relative contribution of a greenhouse gas towards global warming may be described by a number of methods. The most frequently reported relating to anaesthesia is the Global Warming Potential, or GWP, which is a measure of the relative contribution of mass of inhalational anaesthetic agents (IAA) to an equivalent mass of CO2
As the global warming effect of IAAs decreases over time due to atmospheric/UV degradation, GWPs are usually appended by a number indicating the GWP over a time period in years
The GWPs of the inhalational agents can be seen in the table below:

The global warming effects of IAAs may be ameliorated through use of low-flow anaesthesia, , choice of volatile agents with lower GWPs and minimising the use of nitrous oxide. Technologies for capture of scavenged gases are also currently in evolution
You can download an anaesthetic gases calculator here
The NHS produced just less than 590,000 tonnes of waste in 2016/17 representing around 2% of all industrial and commercial waste in England
Each operating theatre produces around 2300Kg anaesthetics waste and 230Kg sharps waste per annum, approximately 40% of which could be reclassified as domestic waste or recycling with significant environmental and financial benefits.

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