{"id":15567,"date":"2025-11-12T10:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T09:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saludporderecho.org\/?p=15567"},"modified":"2025-11-12T10:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T09:01:10","slug":"climate-summit-examining-the-pharmaceutical-industrys-climate-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saludporderecho.org\/en\/climate-summit-examining-the-pharmaceutical-industrys-climate-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Summit: Examining the Pharmaceutical Industry\u2019s Climate Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"

With COP30 underway in Bel\u00e9m, where countries are debating the WHO\u2019s Health Action Plan, Salud por Derecho today releases the report \u201cDecarbonizing Pharma: A Climate-Conscious Approach to Pandemic Preparedness<\/strong>,\u201d which examines the environmental footprint of the pharmaceutical industry in pandemic response and proposes concrete measures to reduce its carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

The report reveals that, relative to its revenue, the pharmaceutical industry produces 55% more greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> than the automotive sector, traditionally considered one of the most polluting in the world. This figure reflects the emission intensity of the sector\u2014meaning the amount of CO\u2082 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\u2019s emissions, which are responsible for around 5% of total global carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

A large portion of this footprint originates in the early stages of production\u2014including chemical synthesis and the use of solvents, which represent about 80% of process emissions\u2014as well as in research and development laboratories, which may consume five to one hundred times more energy<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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 CO\u2082<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

Integrating health and sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bel\u00e9m Health Action Plan, to be presented by the WHO on November 13 during the \u201cHealth Day,\u201d aims to strengthen sustainable health systems<\/strong>, promote low-carbon supply chains, and foster green technological innovation, based on principles of equity and climate justice.<\/p>\n

These priorities are fully aligned with Salud por Derecho\u2019s recommendations, which include integrating environmental criteria into public procurement of medicines<\/strong>, 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<\/strong> and response policies, and to reform pharmaceutical legislation to include ecological standards in the evaluation, manufacturing, and procurement of medicines.<\/p>\n

The study indicates that between 35% and 40% of the sector\u2019s emissions could be reduced without increasing costs<\/strong>, 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\u2014through 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<\/strong> to understand how these factors influence pricing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be no strong health systems if we ignore the climate footprint of those who supply them,\u201d said Jaime Manzano, author of the report and researcher at Salud por Derecho. \u201cAs 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<\/strong>. Decarbonizing this sector is not optional\u2014it is an ethical imperative and a matter of climate and health justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

These demands are part of Salud por Derecho\u2019s broader climate agenda, which calls for accelerating decarbonization and emission reduction efforts<\/strong>, maintaining the EU\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\n

For more information, you can read the full report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With COP30 underway in Bel\u00e9m, where countries are debating the WHO\u2019s Health Action Plan, Salud por Derecho today releases the report \u201cDecarbonizing Pharma: A Climate-Conscious Approach to Pandemic Preparedness,\u201d which<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15564,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[309],"tags":[1305,1302,1306,422],"class_list":["post-15567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-slider-en","tag-climate-impact","tag-cop30","tag-decarbonization","tag-industria-farmaceutica-en"],"yoast_head":"\nClimate Summit: Examining the Pharmaceutical Industry\u2019s Climate Impact | Salud por Derecho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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