Research on the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic and a shift to more agile working, on Public Health Wales’ Carbon Footprint

Introduction:
Climate change is the biggest threat facing humanity and disproportionately affects disadvantaged and vulnerable populations.

In Wales, the Well being of Future Generations Act places a duty on health boards and public bodies to contribute to national well being goals for a healthier, more equal and prosperous Wales.

The Welsh Government published a NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan in 2021, to support achieving a carbon neutral public sector by 2030.

The COVID 19 pandemic required a significant response from Public Health Wales and led to a large proportion of staff becoming permanently home based.

Aim:
To calculate Public Health Wales’ 2019/20 and 2020/21 carbon footprints to identify the impact of the pandemic and shift to more agile working on our carbon emissions.