Climate Week 2026: NHS Scotland’s Collective Effort Continues to Deliver Real Progress

Preparing for the impacts of climate change as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions across Scotland’s public services and communities, can sometimes feel like an enormous challenge. But across NHS Scotland, thousands of people are proving that meaningful progress happens when a health and care system works together towards a shared goal.

From estates teams to clinicians, to procurement teams, pharmacists, fleet managers and caterers, climate action is increasingly becoming part of everyday decision-making across our  services. The results are beginning to tell a powerful story.

Today, more than 1,300 electric cars are operating across the NHS Scotland fleet, representing around 60% of all NHS Scotland fleet cars. Across our hospitals and healthcare facilities, greenhouse gas emissions from buildings have fallen by 37% since 2015/16, demonstrating the combined impact of investment, innovation and energy efficiency improvements.

Clinical teams have also delivered significant progress. Improvements in prescribing practice and advances in inhaler technology have helped reduce inhaler propellant emissions by 17,000 tonnes of CO₂e since 2020/21, while work to reduce the use of high-carbon anaesthetic gases has led to dramatic reductions in emissions from volatile medical gases and nitrous oxide.

These achievements matter because they reflect something much bigger than the numbers themselves. They show what can be accomplished when climate considerations are embedded throughout a healthcare system, supporting better outcomes for people, places and the planet.

There is still much more to do. Supply chains remain the largest source of NHS Scotland’s carbon footprint, and adapting services to a changing climate remains a key priority. But the progress made to date demonstrates that collective action is delivering real change.

After all, climate action is not the work of one team or one organisation. It is the result of thousands of actions taking place across Scotland’s health and care system every day.