Northern Sydney Local Health District

Winner​: Environmental Sustainability Award

Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) has committed to reaching net zero for the carbon emissions they control directly by 2035, and net zero for the emissions they don’t directly control but can influence by 2050.

To help achieve these goals, the district undertook an evidence-base project to calculate NSLHD’s baseline carbon emissions and map a pathway to net zero. It was delivered by the Planetary Health team in partnership with Arup Australia and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

The project is the first of its kind for any local health district and involved three stages:

1. Data collection to calculate the district’s baseline carbon footprint and identify its emissions hot spots.
2. Identifying interventions to reduce emissions based on best-practice evidence and consultation with staff.
3. Modelling a pathway to net zero aligned with the Paris Agreement and limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

As result of this project, the district has a plan for achieving net zero over the next 11 years and leads the way for other health services to follow. This research has informed the development of the NSLHD Planetary Health Framework 2024-2027, which will guide the district’s activities over the next four years.​​