The Spanish Health Sector Reduced Greenhouse Emissions by 1.2% in 2022

The health sector in Spain slightly improved its commitment to the environment. Healthcare activities emitted 1.11 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2022, 1.2 % less than the value reached in 2021, when the maximum in the last decade was reached, with 1.12 million tons. 

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Despite the decrease, the health sector’s greenhouse emission is still higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE)

Not counting the decrease recorded during the year of the pandemic, the amount of gases has not stopped increasing since 2015. The largest increase in the historical series took place in 2019, with an increase of 15.6%. That was the year in which one million tons of polluting gases were exceeded again, a figure that had not been reached since 2011. In fact, the historical maximum was recorded in 2010, when the amount exceeded 1.16 million tons.

Regarding the emission of greenhouse gases from activities related to the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, the total value in 2022 was  880,000 tons, its lowest value in the last six years. In this case, the quantity has not exceeded one million tons since 2013; From then on, there were four years of declines close to 10%.

Regarding the total activities of the Spanish economy, the country emitted 304.4 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2022, 3.1% more than in 2021. By branches of activities and households, the manufacturing industry accounted for 24.4% of the total, a decrease of 6.2% compared to last year, while homes generated 22.7% of total emissions, 1.0%. 2% more than in 2021.

The health sector ranked 25th in 2022

In the 2022 sector ranking, healthcare activities ranked 25th; For its part, the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products was ranked 27th. The least polluting branches were the activities of households as employers of domestic staff or as producers of goods and services for own use, and the repair of computers, personal effects, and household items.

Environmental Accounting aims to integrate environmental information coherently into the central system of National Accounts. It includes a set of satellite accounts, transmitted annually, prepared from accounting formats applicable to different sectoral and territorial areas, with a strong presence of physical data. Shows the interactions between the economy, households, and environmental factors. 

The air emissions account presents data on polluting emissions into the atmosphere, in a manner compatible with the System of National Accounts, recording the emitting agents disaggregated by branches of economic activity and households as final consumers.

The estimates of the emissions into the atmosphere account are made from the National Inventories of Emissions into the Atmosphere, prepared by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

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(Featured image by Marcin Jozwiak via Unsplash)

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First published in PlantaDoce. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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