Our changing climate demands transformation across all sectors of society, and health care is no exception. Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is more committed than ever to our goal of transforming and improving patient care through planetary health. Our goal is not simply to meet regulatory requirements, but to lead by example within the health care sector.
This year, the (VCH) Climate Change Accountability Report (CCAR) is in a new expanded format, including detailed dashboards and graphs showing our progress toward the 2025 and 2030 targets. By tracking key performance indicators in energy use, GHG emissions, waste, transportation and water, we are developing innovative solutions to understand and reduce our organizational footprint.
The 2024 CCAR celebrates actions to reduce our emissions and other planetary health achievements across our organization including:
- Emissions reduction projects: Four energy and emissions reduction projects were initiated, which are projected to decrease annual natural gas consumption by 33,476 gigajoules and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1,679 tCO2e.
- Low carbon resilience: To integrate a climate-action lens to site assessments, low carbon resilience studies were completed at Totem Lodge and Shorncliffe Intermediate Care Facility.
- Climate vulnerability assessments: Detailed vulnerability assessments were conducted at two Sechelt long-term care sites and six buildings in Richmond, with plans to expand assessments to additional facilities in 2025.
For more detailed insights, download and read the full report.
