Delivering a low carbon health system – drawing on lessons from the NHS
Speaker: Professor Nick Watts, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Medicine, National University of Singapore
29 September 2025 | Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Melbourne
It was our privilege to welcome Professor Nick Watts, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Medicine at the National University of Singapore, and Monash University adjunct professor, to the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine for an inspiring conversation about sustainability in the healthcare sector.
As the inaugural Chief Sustainability Officer for the UK National Health Service, Professor Watts played a pivotal role in leading the NHS’s world-first commitment to net-zero emissions, providing a formative roadmap towards sustainable healthcare practice and sustainability-driven decision-making in the healthcare system.
Professor Watts emphasised the important position occupied by healthcare systems as powerful catalysts for stimulating broader climate action in other industries, sharing that many of his achievements in this role also brought significant cost savings. “Within 5 years, the NHS was making money back on solar that was based in grey, cold and wet Manchester. Imagine what that could mean for a place like Australia.”
He also shared his experience of calculating the carbon footprint of healthcare systems in the UK and Singapore, highlighting the remarkable similarities in the carbon footprint assessments between different high-income countries, like Australia and the UK, despite their different climates and geographical expanses.
Professor Watts went on to discuss the disproportionate impact of supply chain carbon (scope 3) emissions, highlighting that while traditional reporting has focussed heavily on scope 1 and 2 emissions, these “only account for about 10% of overall emissions within the healthcare sector”, emphasising the importance of industry leaders and policymakers in driving more sustainable procurement.
There was tremendous engagement with the audience both in the room and online, with the event continuing for 30 minutes beyond its scheduled conclusion! We are very grateful to Professor Watts for his generosity sharing both his time and wealth of experience in healthcare sustainability.
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