A coal-fired power station from German giant RWE, in Weisweiler, West Germany, January 26, 2021. Photo: INA FASSBENDER | AFP | Getty Images Policymakers are under increasing pressure to fulfill the commitments of the Paris Agreement ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, November 2021. Politicians and businessmen acknowledge the need to transition to a low-carbon society, but slowing global warming and meeting global goals of reducing emissions is increasingly so difficult. According to the director of the International Center for Environmental Law Carroll Muffett, the energy transition is going too slowly from a climate change perspective, but most importantly the acknowledgment of the problem is mainly willpower. political and economic options. World leaders and business sectors repeatedly reiterate their commitment to “transform the energy”. Nearly 200 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, unanimously pursuing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This continues to be the main focus of COP26, albeit one Some climate change scientists say that now this goal has been “unattainable”. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) thinks that between 2030 and 2052, the global temperature will get 1.5 degrees C hotter; To reduce global warming, it is necessary to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2010 levels, before reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The problem is not that there is no technology or the ability to transform, or economic choice, but the structure of power and support for an industry that will decline. The emissions balancing strategies of some Governments and companies still depend on the increasing use of fossil fuels in the “coming decades”. According to Carroll Muffett, this reality can be seen in US policy, particularly in the plan to invest heavily in carbon capture and capture. The road is bumpy ahead . According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Earth’s carbon level is higher than at any time in the past 3.6 million years; If the worst effects of climate change are to be mitigated, it is important to focus on reducing fossil fuel emissions and studying how to prevent greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal releases large amounts of carbon into the air. Fossil fuel emissions and industry accounted for 89% of global emissions in 2018, the IPCC says. The US Energy Information Administration projects that global carbon emissions from fuel sources will continue to increase over the coming decades. According to energy finance analyst Clark William Derry, the current “energy transition” process is like the “transition of energy systems from the 19th century to the 21st century”; transition is taking place but it is not clear whether it is fast enough to prevent the worst consequences of climate change, fast enough to improve air quality in cities in developing countries such as in India, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam as well as some other countries; The road ahead is very bumpy. Is the current essential issue . The IPCC Intergovernmental Group notes that the transition from fossil fuels is underway and will require “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented” changes in all aspects of the commune. festival. However, the February 2021 United Nations report showed that countries’ commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions was “far from” compared to the far-reaching measures needed to avoid the dire consequences of Climate Change. Currently only 75/195 countries have signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, submitting the National Contribution Plan (NDC) on emissions reductions to 2030. USA, China and India, are emissions countries. The world’s largest has yet to release its own NDC. United Nations Executive Secretary on Climate Change Patricia Espinosa urged policymakers to “accelerate” ambitious plans to cut emissions by 2021, emphasizing it as “crucial. ” The current./.

For the first time the world has a guideline for the global health sector to reach zero emissions by 2050. This is an industry with no small climate impact, equal to 4.4% of global net emissions. Without climate action inside and outside the industry, emissions by the health sector would more than triple, to more than six gigatons per year by 2050, equivalent to annual emissions from 770 homes. coal thermal power plant.

If countries can meet the commitments in their Paris Agreement, this could cut the health sector’s projected increase in emissions by 70%, still a long way from its zero-emission target. This Roadmap Guideline identifies seven high-impact activities that could help the health sector cut emissions by 44 gigattons more over 36 years, the equivalent of keeping more than 2.7 billion barrels of oil underground each. year.

Medical waste (Artwork: chatthaiyte.vn)

The roadmap also outlines for the health sector in different countries separate carbon reduction orbits. Countries with large greenhouse gas emissions in the health sector need to reduce their emissions fastest and most. Meanwhile, low-income and middle-income countries with less responsibility can implement climate-smart solutions to develop their health infrastructure, following a less “slope” trajectory. “For zero emissions. The guidelines also have a proposal for Vietnam’s health sector, ranking 20th out of 68 countries in the net emissions report and responsible for 2.4% of total national emissions.

The new Global Roadmap Guidelines show that 84% of the sector’s climate emissions come from fossil fuels used in health-care operations, supply chains and the broader economy. . These include coal, oil and gas used to power hospitals, medical travel, manufacturing and transporting health care products.

“We are experiencing a climate emergency at the same time,” said Josh Karliner, International Strategy and Program for Harm-Free Health and co-author of the Roadmap. health, including increased respiratory illnesses caused by fossil fuel pollution and illnesses caused by severe climatic effects such as wildfires. Not only does the health sector bear the brunt of these two crises, but ironically also contributes to them through its own emissions. Health leaders are forced to take the lead as an example and act now to reach zero emissions by 2050. This roadmap helps to chart the path in that direction, ”

The Roadmap Guidelines provide detailed data on health sector emissions from 68 countries and specific recommendations for governments, international agencies, and the private sector to achieve their carbon reduction goals and creating a better and fairer health care system. Recommendations for governments include incorporating carbon reduction in the health sector into their own National Contribution (NDC) commitments under the Paris Agreement and developing robust interagency climate policies to ensure protects public health from the impacts of climate change, and supports carbon reduction and resilience in the healthcare sector.

There are already good examples of health systems in countries adopting zero emissions schemes. Britain’s National Health System has announced a 2040 zero net emissions goal. Most recently, Argentina included reductions in healthcare carbon emissions in its climate plans. Healthcare professionals are a key voice in asking governments to be more aggressive in climate action. In May last year, 40 million people working in the health sector signed a statement asking G20 leaders to focus on public health and green recovery when planning a post-pandemic economic recovery. Most recently, Lancet research has published that ambitious climate goals can save millions of lives each year ../.