Surgeons' Operations Spew Out Massive Emissions

New research has found that surgery can have a surprisingly big impact on the environment, with operating rooms using up to six times more energy than other hospital departments. The study looked at 26 studies and found that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from surgery can vary widely, from just a few kilograms to over 1,000 kilograms. The biggest contributors to these emissions are single-use materials and the energy needed to power anesthesia machines. The researchers say that without standardized ways of measuring and reducing these emissions, it's hard to compare the environmental impact of different surgical procedures.