With COP30 underway in Belém, where countries are debating the WHO’s Health Action Plan, Salud por Derecho today releases the report “Decarbonizing Pharma: A Climate-Conscious Approach to Pandemic Preparedness,” which examines the environmental footprint of the pharmaceutical industry in pandemic response and proposes concrete measures to reduce its carbon emissions.
The report reveals that, relative to its revenue, the pharmaceutical industry produces 55% more greenhouse gas emissions than the automotive sector, traditionally considered one of the most polluting in the world. This figure reflects the emission intensity of the sector—meaning the amount of CO₂ emitted per dollar of revenue generated. Overall, the production and consumption of pharmaceuticals and medical technologies account for a substantial share of the health sector’s emissions, which are responsible for around 5% of total global carbon emissions.
A large portion of this footprint originates in the early stages of production—including chemical synthesis and the use of solvents, which represent about 80% of process emissions—as well as in research and development laboratories, which may consume five to one hundred times more energy than a standard office building. This impact is further compounded by a global and fragmented supply chain, in which international transport significantly increases indirect (Scope 3) emissions.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this environmental burden skyrocketed. The production and transportation of vaccines required thousands of international flights and generated large volumes of plastic and chemical waste, while the manufacture of disposable masks alone added over 18 million tonnes of CO₂. The report warns of a vicious cycle, in which climate change increases the likelihood of new pandemics, and health responses in turn intensify environmental degradation.
Integrating health and sustainability
The Belém Health Action Plan, to be presented by the WHO on November 13 during the “Health Day,” aims to strengthen sustainable health systems, promote low-carbon supply chains, and foster green technological innovation, based on principles of equity and climate justice.
These priorities are fully aligned with Salud por Derecho’s recommendations, which include integrating environmental criteria into public procurement of medicines, enhancing climate transparency across the sector, and promoting circular economy approaches, such as drug repurposing and reuse. The organization also calls on the WHO, the European Union, and the Government of Spain to integrate environmental sustainability into pandemic preparedness and response policies, and to reform pharmaceutical legislation to include ecological standards in the evaluation, manufacturing, and procurement of medicines.
The study indicates that between 35% and 40% of the sector’s emissions could be reduced without increasing costs, through measures such as renewable energy use, replacement of high-impact solvents with greener alternatives, and more efficient continuous manufacturing processes. While the pharmaceutical industry claims that such measures would increase drug prices, Salud por Derecho stresses that the social costs of pollution are already being paid—through public waste management systems and the consequences of climate change, particularly in low-income countries. If the cost of the green transition is incorporated into final drug prices, greater transparency will be needed to understand how these factors influence pricing.
“There will be no strong health systems if we ignore the climate footprint of those who supply them,” said Jaime Manzano, author of the report and researcher at Salud por Derecho. “As long as the pharmaceutical industry operates under production models that fuel the climate crisis, we will be undermining our own capacity to respond to future pandemics. Decarbonizing this sector is not optional—it is an ethical imperative and a matter of climate and health justice.”
These demands are part of Salud por Derecho’s broader climate agenda, which calls for accelerating decarbonization and emission reduction efforts, maintaining the EU’s target of at least 90% emissions reduction by 2040, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and allocating at least 50% of the next EU budget to climate action. The organization also urges support for low- and middle-income countries to strengthen sustainable and climate-resilient health systems.
For more information, you can read the full report here.
