Chasing net zero in crisis-hit NHS is a race it cannot win

REPORTS reveal the NHS has blown £1.4billion of our money on failing to hit net-zero targets.

- Duncan Barkes

The NHS and net zero are intrinsically linked - for many they are cults and must be supported at all costs and without question. But it's utter madness to prioritise net zero in a health service continually making the headlines for poor care, dodgy or striking doctors and more than seven million patients still waiting for care or an operation.

This is not an exercise in NHS bashing, but it is vital to highlight how money is being spent in pursuit of something that simply should not be a priority when we frequently hear how cash-starved the health service is.

It is, however, an obvious target for net-zero disciples as it is one of the world's biggest employers, with more than two million staff on the payroll, thousands of vehicles and hundreds of buildings.

Targets have been set and 2040 is the goal for the NHS to hit net zero for the emissions for which it is solely responsible, while 2045 is the target for emissions it can "influence", such as how staff get to work and suppliers and products the NHS spends money on.

Five years ago, the "Greener NHS" project was launched and, as it turns out, has had zero impact, apart from successfully wasting a stack of taxpayer money.