Carbon footprint of general practice: Retrospective case study of GP offices in a rural department of France

Context

The medical sector has a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions which, in turn, impacts global health. In the context of the climate emergency, measures should be adopted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the health care sector. So far, few regulations have been implemented for general practice facilities, despite the fact that the potential impact of general practice is large, due to the size of this sector. This study seeks to establish the carbon footprint of general practices in a rural French department, and to identify the main vectors of CO₂ emissions.

Materials and Methods

Three general practitioners’ offices located in Lot-et-Garonne agreed to participate in this study. This retrospective study extrapolated the carbon footprint of the practices during 2020 using the ADEME BEGES method and Life Cycle Assessment. We collected data and accounting reports directly from practices regarding different potential CO₂ emission sources (electricity, water, transport, waste, digital activities, stationery, and medical equipment).

Results

Medical practices emitted an average of 39.8t of CO₂ equivalent in 2020, i.e. 1.5 kg of CO₂eq per consultation. Transportation was the main vector of emissions with 95 % of the total (83 % via patient transportation and 12 % via physician transportation), followed by medical equipment (3 %), electricity consumption (1.1 %), office supplies (0.7 %), digital activities (0.1 %), then water and waste (both, < 0.1 %).

Conclusion

General Practice generates a significant amount of CO₂ and, therefore, requires specific actions to be implemented to reduce its impact on the environment.