HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge

Pledge overview

On Earth Day 2022, the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched the Health Sector Climate Pledge 🡥, a voluntary commitment by private sector health care organizations to climate resilience and emissions reduction that includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. As of November 1, 2024, 143 organizations representing 960 hospitals signed the pledge. In addition to hospitals, these stakeholders include health centers, suppliers, insurance companies, group purchasing organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and more. Federal systems like the Indian Health Service , Veterans Health Administration , and Military Health System are working together to meet goals similar to those the private sector organizations have embraced. Combined, this means that over 1,200 federal and private sector hospitals have made such commitments, representing over 19% of U.S. hospitals.

Specifically, pledge signers commit to:

1. At minimum, reduce organizational emissions by 50% by 2030 (from a baseline no earlier than 2008) and achieve net-zero by 2050, publicly accounting for progress on this goal every year.
2. Designate an executive-level lead for their work on reducing emissions by 2023* and conduct an inventory of Scope 3 (supply chain)** emissions by the end of 2024.*
3. Develop and release a climate resilience plan for continuous operations by the end of 2023 or within six months of signing the pledge, anticipating the needs of groups in their community that experience disproportionate risk of climate-related harm.

* For those who signed in 2024 and onward, HHS hopes signers will complete the pledge elements due in 2023 and 2024 within six months of signing.

** Scope 3 emissions include indirect emissions, including those within the supply chain, covering the production and transportation of goods and services. The Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) has created A Roadmap to Addressing Scope 3 Emissions for Healthcare Organizations (PDF).

Things to know regarding signing the pledge

On March 9, 2023, HHS announced that the Health Sector Climate Pledge was accepting new signatories on an ongoing basis. The announcement came after multiple health sector stakeholders requested to join the initiative following the October 2022 deadline.

Organizations were permitted to sign the pledge at any time and were recognized through announcements on two occasions each year. Organizations that submitted their pledge form by April 12 were recognized in an Earth Day announcement. Organizations that submitted their pledge form by November 1 were recognized in an announcement around the time of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP).

You can learn more about the pledge and the support provided for health sector organizations on their sustainability journeys from this HHS press release 🡥.

Importantly, the pledge was intended as a starting point in the sector’s efforts to address the harmful impacts of climate change, especially in high-risk communities across the country. OCCHE committed to working with organizations that had signed the pledge — and all other interested groups — on climate resilience and emissions reduction. Relevant resources are noted below.

White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge signatories as of November 1, 2024

Health systems, hospitals, and other providers

Other industry organizations

Associations, nonprofits, and technical assistance organizations

Relevant resources and support

HHS and its partners from other federal departments provided significant technical assistance and support intended to accelerate work to advance emissions reduction and climate resilience:

• Health Sector Resource Hub 🡥 from OCCHE designed to help the health sector understand what resources, tools, and informational materials are available to accelerate the important work of emissions reduction and climate resilience. The hub features:
• Quickfinder for Leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act for the Health Sector 🡥. The quickfinder explores how the landmark law’s billions of dollars in grants, loan programs, and tax credits can help transform the industry by significantly increasing access to funds that will create resilient and renewable infrastructure.
• Catalytic Program on Utilizing the IRA 🡥. This webinar series provides guidance, resources, and case examples on how health sector organizations can take advantage of the IRA.
• Webinar series on available government support 🡥 to assist health care stakeholders in their work on emissions reduction and climate resilience. Entitled “Accelerating Healthcare Sector Action on Climate Change and Health Equity,” this series features webinars on topics including financing resources available to support facility investments in sustainable infrastructure development and tools to support emergency preparedness and response.
• Compendium of federal resources 🡥 to support emissions reduction and climate resilience for health care stakeholders, including those resources discussed in the webinar series. The compendium includes guidance for the health sector (PDF) on using the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) free benchmarking tool ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager. The guidance explores how different providers and suppliers might use Portfolio Manager to track building-related energy and greenhouse gas emissions, starting with basics like how facilities can identify their appropriate property type.
• Primer from the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality 🡥 that offers guidance on high-priority measures and strategies for health care organizations to reduce their carbon footprint.
• The Million Hearts Climate Change & Cardiovascular Disease Collaborative 🡥, a collaboration of OCCHE, the CDC National Center for Environmental Health, and the EPA, is a national forum for health professionals and organizations looking to deepen their knowledge about the cardiovascular health threats that climate change (e.g., air pollution and extreme heat events) presents, offer evidence-based interventions to address those threats (especially for high-risk populations), and provide opportunities to test and refine relevant solutions and tools. The collaborative was introduced in a November 3, 2022 webinar that can be viewed here 🡥.
• Federal Health Systems Learning Network made up of the Veteran’s Health Administration, Military Health System and Indian Health Service that will share its learning on emissions reduction and resilience through regular exchange sessions with private sector organizations. You can learn more about the Federal Health Systems Learning Network in this recorded webinar 🡥.

Frequently asked questions

What was the deadline to sign the pledge?

Organizations were able to sign the pledge at any time. Organizations that submitted their pledge form by April 12 were recognized in an Earth Day announcement. Organizations that submitted their pledge form by November 1 were recognized in an announcement around the time of the COP.

How can I meet the pledge’s 2024 deadlines if they have already passed?

HHS expected that pledge signatories who signed after a deadline had already passed to complete items no later than six months after signing.

How can the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) support our work on emissions reduction and resilience?

The IRA is landmark legislation providing billions of dollars in grants, loan programs, and other investments. OCCHE’s Quickfinder for Leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act for the Health Sector explores how the IRA can help transform the industry by significantly increasing access to funds that will create resilient and renewable infrastructure. OCCHE also offered a on utilizing the IRA.

Reviewing the White House guidebook to the IRA’s investments in clean energy and climate action (PDF) is also recommended.

How should we develop a climate resilience plan for continuous operations?

There is no required method for developing a climate resilience plan, but OCCHE encouraged the review of the Climate Resilience Plan Elements for Healthcare Organizations (PDF), a document developed to explain the essential elements of climate resilience plans for health care facilities. Additionally, the Sustainable and Climate-resilient Health Care Facilities Toolkit provides an overview guide highlighting emerging best practices for developing sustainable and climate-resilient health care facilities. Furthermore, OCCHE’s Roadmap to Addressing Scope 3 Emissions for Healthcare Organizations (PDF)" offers insight on general approaches to doing so, and links to relevant federal tools.

How can I track emissions over time if my organization is growing?

The emissions reduction goals articulated in the first element of the pledge refer to absolute emissions. However, structural changes like acquisitions, divestments, and mergers can alter a company’s emission profile. Thus, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol recommends that for consistent tracking of emissions over time, the base year emissions may need to be recalculated as companies undergo significant structural changes such as acquisitions, divestments, and mergers. The OCCHE does not have specific recommendations on what constitutes a “significant” change, but it recommended transparency in your public reporting on how base year emissions were calculated or recalculated. You can learn more about recalculating base year emissions starting on page 36 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (PDF).

Why did the Biden Administration and HHS pursue this pledge?

Under the Biden Administration, HHS sought to highlight the leadership of health care sector stakeholders in proactively addressing their greenhouse gas emissions and becoming more resilient to the health threats associated with climate change in service of communities at disproportionate risk of climate-related harm. OCCHE was well aware of the notable goals that many of them have set and sought to galvanize others to make similar commitments.

If health sector organizations made the voluntary pledge noted here, will they be held accountable through reporting to the federal government?

The pledge is voluntary; the organizations that signed it are not legally obligated to report data on their progress to HHS in association with this initiative and HHS did not impose any penalties in association with this initiative. However, HHS’ expectation is – as noted in the pledge form — that signing organizations will proactively share their progress with the public, just as federal health care providers would be expected to do in the coming years.

Notably, several health systems are already reporting data on their emissions for other state and federal requirements. Federal tools for tracking emissions, like the EPA’s EnergyStar Portfolio Manager platform, are available to help organizations assess their progress. More than 3,500 hospitals use this tool already and the guidance for the health sector (PDF) on using Portfolio Manager is available.

What is the baseline year for the first commitment (reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050)?

Federal health systems are obligated by Executive Order 14057 to use 2008 as the baseline year for their emissions reductions. When creating the pledge, OCCHE hoped that private-sector stakeholders would use the same baseline year, but if that is not possible, they asked them to use a baseline year no earlier than 2008. Signers were expected to communicate the baseline that they planned to use.

How can I learn more about this initiative and what it entails?

Additional information about the details of the pledge are available in this video recording of a webinar presented on May 2, 2022.

For the first element of the pledge (reducing organizational emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net-zero by 2050), which Greenhouse Gas Protocol scopes are included in each target?

For the target of reducing organizational emissions by 50% by 2030, “organizational emissions” refers to Scopes 1 and 2. In the health care sector, Scopes 1 and 2 are primarily related to health care facility operations (e.g., emissions associated with energy used to power buildings and equipment, heating and cooling, clinical processes, and hospital-owned transportation).

For the target of achieving net-zero by 2050, signing organizations commit, at minimum, to no net Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050. However, OCCHE strongly encouraged organizations to include Scopes 1, 2, and 3 in their net-zero goals. Scope 3 emissions arise from complex value chains, and include the production and transportation of medical supplies, waste management, and staff commuting. Achieving net-zero emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3 is within reach in the next twenty-five years, and the health sector must do all it can to achieve this goal (hence the ask to generate a Scope 3 inventory by the end of 2024 or six months after signing the pledge).

HHS applauded organizations taking action on Scope 3 emissions and sought to spotlight those making progress in achieving net-zero emissions across all three scopes. To support this work, OCCHE created A Roadmap to Addressing Scope 3 Emissions for Healthcare Organizations.