ANA: Nurses have a role in climate change - Becker's Hospital Review
ANA: Nurses have a role in climate change
The nursing profession has a role to play in mitigating the effects of climate change through patient education, nursing education and research, according to a new position statement from the American Nurses Association.
The statement, released Sept. 20, outlines guidance for nurses, nursing organizations and the healthcare sector as a whole on how to limit their contributions to climate change.
In professional settings and nursing schools, the ANA recommends nurses educate patients about the effects of climate change, including its effects on human health and mitigation strategies, and advocate for initiatives and policies to reduce carbon emissions within health institutions. Climate and sustainability content — including around waste reduction, energy and water conservation and climate leadership — should be integrated into all levels of nursing curricula.
The policy statement also provides guidance for professional nursing organizations. The ANA and other leading groups have an opportunity to educate their members on the relationship between climate change and illness and how it exacerbates existing key challenges in the industry around staffing and patient safety, according to the report.
"The ANA recognizes that climate change is a critical public health issue that requires urgent action to mitigate its impact on human health and well-being," the position statement says. "Nurses are called upon to integrate the science of climate and health into nursing education, research and practice and to work with other healthcare professionals, community organizations, and policymakers to address the multiple health consequences of environmental degradation, extreme weather events, and other climate-related health impacts with evidence-based mitigation and adaptation actions, programs and policies."
The statement comes on the heels of the planet's hottest summer on record, with emergency departments seeing an influx of patients with heat-related illnesses and operational disruptions.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”