COVID-19 pandemics Stage II - Energy and environmental impacts of vaccination

Jiří Jaromír Klemeš; Peng Jiang; Yee Van Fan; Awais Bokhari; Xue-Chao Wang

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2021.111400

COVID-19 pandemics Stage II - Energy and environmental impacts of vaccination

Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2021 Oct:150:111400. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111400. Epub 2021 Jul 6.

Authors

Jiří Jaromír Klemeš¹, Peng Jiang², Yee Van Fan¹, Awais Bokhari¹, Xue-Chao Wang^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory - SPIL, NETME Centre, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology- VUT Brno, Technická 2896/2, 616 69, Brno, Czech Republic.
² Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, PR China.
⁴ School of Natural Resources Science and Technology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, PR China.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic developed the severest public health event in recent history. The first stage for defence has already been documented. This paper moves forward to contribute to the second stage for offensive by assessing the energy and environmental impacts related to vaccination. The vaccination campaign is a multidisciplinary topic incorporating policies, population behaviour, planning, manufacturing, materials supporting, cold-chain logistics and waste treatment. The vaccination for pandemic control in the current phase is prioritised over other decisions, including energy and environmental issues. This study documents that vaccination should be implemented in maximum sustainable ways. The energy and related emissions of a single vaccination are not massive; however, the vast numbers related to the worldwide production, logistics, disinfection, implementation and waste treatment are reaching significant figures. The preliminary assessment indicates that the energy is at the scale of ~1.08 × 10¹⁰ kWh and related emissions of ~5.13 × 10¹² gCO_2eq when embedding for the envisaged 1.56 × 10¹⁰ vaccine doses. The cold supply chain is estimated to constitute 69.8% of energy consumption of the vaccination life cycle, with an interval of 26-99% depending on haul distance. A sustainable supply chain model that responds to an emergency arrangement, considering equality as well, should be emphasised to mitigate vaccination's environmental footprint. This effort plays a critical role in preparing for future pandemics, both environmentally and socially. Research in exploring sustainable single-use or reusable materials is also suggested to be a part of the plans. Diversified options could offer higher flexibility in mitigating environmental footprint even during the emergency and minimise the potential impact of material disruption or dependency.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccination campaigns; Cold supply chain; Energy and emissions; Environmental impact; Interdisciplinary analysis; Sustainability.

Publication types

Review