The carbon footprint of the Chinese health-care system: an environmentally extended input–output and structural path analysis study

Abstract

The health sector plays an important part in adapting to climate change; however, the sector is also responsible for significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In high-income countries, the carbon footprints of health-care systems have been estimated to be 3-10% of the total national GHG emissions, but no in-depth investigation has been done for China. This study aims to examine the carbon footprint of the Chinese health-care system and identify emission hotspots. Environmentally extended input-output analysis and structural path analysis were used to assess the lifecycle GHG emissions of the Chinese health-care system. A satellite account of GHG emissions was constructed for 46 economic sectors in China using energy data from the National Bureau of Statistics based on the numbers reported by a large number of enterprises. Data on health expenditure for medical institutions, pharmaceuticals, construction, administration, and research were obtained from multiple Chinese official statistics yearbooks and the national input-output table. In 2012, China spent CNY 2539 billion on health care, leading to emissions of 315 (68% CI 267-363) megatonnes CO2 equivalent. Health care accounted for 2·7% (68% CI 2·3-3·1) of China's total GHG emissions. The major contributors of GHG emissions in the health-care system were public hospitals (148 megatonnes [47%]), non-hospital purchased pharmaceuticals (56 megatonnes [18%]), and construction (46 megatonnes [15%]). In medical institutions, energy use for buildings and transport accounted for only 16% of the total carbon footprint, whereas 84% was embodied in the purchased goods and services. China has a much smaller health-care carbon footprint per capita than developed countries, such as the USA and Australia. However, its carbon emissions per unit of health expenditure are relatively high because of the expenditure structure and the carbon intensity of the country's entire economy. The results suggest the need for a nationwide carbon-efficient target for health care and use of low-carbon alternatives in making supply chain choices to achieve reductions in the carbon footprint. Natural Science Foundation of China.