Rising to the climate challenge: integrating climate action in the undergraduate curriculum

The climate emergency is at a critical point. The planet is no longer in equilibrium and cannot compensate for carbon emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identified the emerging impacts of climate change as a ‘code red for humanity’. The health impacts of climate change are already being experienced by communities, and the impact is expected to widen and escalate over time, making planetary health an emerging and urgent trend within healthcare. Nurses urgently need to learn how to care for communities that are affected by climate change. Healthcare, as one of the largest emitting sectors, must act to improve planetary health.
The need for nurses to consider planetary health in their practice is recognised in the position statements on climate change and sustainability issued by the International Council of Nurses, and the Australian College of Nursing. Evidence suggests that emerging nurses support the inclusion of planetary health in their training. For nursing educators, this could begin by increasing literacy in environmental sustainability and planetary health. Higher education institutions are ideally positioned to contribute to a healthier future by incorporating planetary health education in their curricula. Integrating planetary health education in the preregistration nursing programs meets the Standard 3 requirement of the Registered Nurse Accreditation Standards, set by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC), which requires nursing curricula to reflect contemporary practice and respond to emerging trends.