Nurses’ perspectives on climate change, health and nursing practice

Abstract

The United Nations (2011) defines climate change as a change in climate that can either be directly or indirectly attributed to human activity. It alters the composition of the atmosphere and is considered in addition to the natural climate variability observed over comparable periods of time (United Nations [UN], 2011). Our climate is changing at an accelerated rate. 'Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since 1950 s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia' (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2014, p. 2). While it can be argued that there are several causative factors, scientific evidence indicates

Nurses’ Perceptions of Climate Change: Protocol for a Scoping Review

“…Its relevance comes from the fact that studies have been conducted in recent years that address nurses’ perceptions of climate change [ 16 , 17 , 21 - 23 ] but have not been compared and interpreted as a body of literature. The preliminary results of this exploratory literature review suggest that nurses could be preoccupied about climate change to a certain extent [ 20 ] but could lack knowledge about climate change, its causes, and its impacts on health [ 15 , 20 , 22 ]. The perceptions of their role in the fight against climate change as well as concrete ways to include the fight against climate change in their daily work despite constraints seems also unclear [ 17 , 22 ].…”

“…As recommended by Levac et al [ 26 ], the question we wish to answer through this exploratory review has been clearly articulated and focused. The question under study in this exploratory literature review is, “what are nurses’ perceptions relative to climate change?” This question is justified by the need to advance knowledge about nurses’ perceptions of climate change to better prepare them to tackle these climate issues [ 16 , 20 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Awakening to the climate emergency

“…For most nurses, planetary health has not been top of mind as an issue of concern about which our profession has a significant role to play (Kalogirou, Dahlke, et al, 2020). Over recent decades, we have embraced social determinants of health as something that is fundamentally important in health care, and it is apparent from our reflections on and theorizing about nursing, including in the pages of this journal, that the way in which we socially construct factors that become barriers or facilitators to the resources for health is an issue about which nursing represents important expertize, and for which the manner in which we educate our young, organize our care systems, and orient our policy advocacy can bring an informed and skilled perspective to a shared vision of a better future for all.…”

Nursing's mandate in climate change

“…I began writing this on Earth Day, April 22, 2021, and I am finishing this at home in United States Pacific Northwest, which is recovering from an unprecedented ”heat dome” with triple‐digit heat and climate change‐induced wildfires. I was startled to find very little in the nursing literature regarding climate change even as the popular and scientific press indicate the urgent issues regarding the rapidly warming climate and the effects on health and well‐being worldwide (Kalogirou et al, 2020). There are some comments regarding climate change in nursing essays regarding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a very explicit call to action from the International Council of Nurses (Catton, 2020).…”