Abstract
Hardly a day goes by when environmental and global health issues are not in the news. Many stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, have been called upon to take action on climate change, to help reduce its causes, find ways to adapt to the climate and its consequences, and to strengthen individual and collective capacities to cope with its disruptive effects. Reflection has already begun within the nursing profession, several position statements from major players including nursing regulatory bodies and professional associations, at both the local and international levels, have been issued on the topic. Climate change is also attracting growing attention from researchers in the discipline. Despite all this, a number of reviews and analyses point to the fact that nursing’s involvement in the field remains limited. Based on a review of recent literature, we share reflections on nursing and climate action and make the case for greater involvement of nurses on this front. Our first objective is to highlight a number of issues that nurses face related to addressing climate change, including lack of preparation and resources, and constraints related to the work environment. Our second objective is to present examples of promising and exemplary initiatives spearheaded by nurses towards improving policies, healthcare and health in the context of climate change.
Presenters
Lucie RichardProfessor, Faculty of Nursing, Universite de Montreal, Quebec, Canada Lisa Merry
Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
Nursing, Climate Change, Professional Practice, Environmental Health, Public Health
