Sustainable Hospitals Facing Climate Change: Carbon Footprint of a Public Hospital in Buenos Aires City

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Climate change is a matter of public health. The carbon footprint is relevant to the ecological footprint of an entity which measures the biological surface needed to produce goods and services consumed by the same, as well as the ability to assimilate the waste it generates, so its estimation is a good indicator of the environmental impact generated by the activities of the establishment. OBJECTIVES: Estimate the carbon footprint of the Hospital General of Acutes Enrique Tornú of the city of Buenos Aires during 2015. METHODS: The design was based on a descriptive qualitative-quantitative study of transverse type, which included the sources of greenhouse gases to calculate emissions from the activities of the hospital with a perspective of an organization. RESULTS: The carbon footprint obtained was 1526.47 tons of equivalent CO2 - 43% was generated by direct emissions, 29% by indirect emissions due to energy consumption and the remaining 28% by indirect emission. Indicator I2015 = 9.09 tCO2e/bed. CONCLUSIONS: The results show the environmental impact of the hospital functioning and its contribution to global warming. The contribution of each activity allows identifying the most significant emission sources and opportunity areas for the implementation of reduction and/or mitigation strategies. The performance indicator will serve to measure progress in terms of scheduled emission reduction