The carbon footprint of different modes of birth in the UK and the Netherlands: an exploratory study using life cycle assessment

Objective: To compare the carbon footprint of caesarean and vaginal birth. Design: Life cycle assessment (LCA). Setting: Tertiary maternity units and home births in the UK and the Netherlands Methods: A cradle-to-grave LCA using openLCA software to model the carbon footprint of different modes of delivery in the UK and the Netherlands. Main Outcome Measures: ‘Carbon footprint’ (in kgCO2e) Results: Excluding analgesia, the carbon footprint of a caesarean birth in the UK was 31.21 kgCO2e, compared with 12.47 kgCO2e for vaginal birth in hospital and 7.63 kgCO2e at home. In the Netherlands the car... Mehr ...