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HOME > J Korean Acad Nurs > Volume 54(4); 2024 > Article
Editorial
Climate Change and Nursing
Yoomi Jungorcid
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2024;54(4):475-477.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.24098
Published online: November 4, 2024

Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy, Daejeon, Korea

Address reprint requests to : Jung, Yoomi Korea Armed Forces Nursing Academy, 90 Jaun-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34059, Korea Tel: +82-42-878-4590 E-mail: ymjungbest@korea.kr
• Received: August 13, 2024   • Revised: September 21, 2024   • Accepted: September 23, 2024

© 2024 Korean Society of Nursing Science

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0) If the original work is properly cited and retained without any modification or reproduction, it can be used and re-distributed in any format and medium.

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Climate change refers to a long-term change in the average temperature of the earth [1]. Even with the most optimistic scenarios, the average global temperature is projected to reach 1.5℃ by 2040 [2], the upper limit aligned by the world leaders under the Paris Agreement in 2015 to avoid climate disaster.
Climate change affects human health both in direct and indirect ways. For instance, heat-related deaths have surged 70% among those aged over 65 in the past two decades, and 37% of deaths in heatwaves have been attributed to climate change [3]. Extreme weather events, including heatwaves, heavy rains, and storms, increase food-borne and vector-borne diseases by creating an environment that promotes the prevalence of pathogens and vectors, contaminating food and water, and disrupting food chains [4].
Floods, droughts, wildfires, and famine kill and displace people, causing short-term and long-term mental health disorders, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder [3]. Warmer temperatures worsen allergies, asthma, and other respiratory diseases by increasing allergens and pollutants [4]. In addition, a high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere elevates carbohydrate content and reduces protein and micronutrients in crops, leading to changes in the metabolism and body composition of those who consume them [4]. Consequently, climate change is anticipated to result in 250,000 additional deaths between 2030 and 2050 [5].
With the nursing metaparadigm, nurses better understand the relationship between human health and the environment than other healthcare professionals [1]. Since Florence Nightingale emphasized clean air and water and overall hygiene for patients’ recovery in her environmental theory, developed in 1859 [6], the environment has been an essential factor in nursing care. That means nurses are well trained to care for and promote human health within the environmental context with their deep understanding of the connections between extreme weather conditions and human health.
Nurses, as the most trusted profession for over two decades [7] and as the only healthcare providers staying with patients for 24 hours, are experts in communicating with patients, families, and other healthcare professionals. Furthermore, they are trained to become holistic care providers, problem-solving specialists, and systems-thinking experts during the 4-year nursing curriculum. Thanks to these unique attributes, nurses can lead interdisciplinary cooperation, educate patients and families, and support the community in climate mitigation and adaptation better than other healthcare professionals.
Climate mitigation refers to actions related to actively reducing or removing greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, and adaptation is defined as responding to changing environmental conditions, such as adjusting to higher temperatures and more rain [1]. For mitigation, nurses can promote saving water and electricity, efficient use of linen and other medical supplies, and proper segregation of medical waste in clinical settings. They can help individuals to choose a healthy lifestyle, such as more use of public transportation and less consumption of red meat, to reduce GHG emissions.
At the same time, they can educate patients, families, and communities to better adapt to climate changes: how to properly store heat-sensitive medications; how to avoid heatstroke, mosquito bites, food poisoning, and asthma attack; and how to protect their skin against the strong ultraviolet radiation. Nurses can help create backup plans as an adaptation strategy, such as providing transportation to staff and patients during extreme weather events [8]. They can contribute to developing disaster plans based on an assessment of the community’s environment and vulnerability and enhancing the resilience of the community. Given their long history of advocacy for patients, nurses are well-suited to the role of encouraging socially excluded and vulnerable populations to participate in decision-making for climate action. Enhancement in eco-literacy and integration of climate change knowledge into practice can empower nurses to fulfill their critical roles in response to climate change.
Recently, nurses have been expected to gain more influence on climate mitigation and adaptation as they have assumed more leadership positions [1]. The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023, the highest decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), designated ‘Climate Change and Health’ as the topic of the year. Dr. AlBlooshi, President of the Emirates Nursing Association, on behalf of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) [9], urged the international community to establish resilient health systems and to provide financial support to raise the workforce for climate change response.
However, further nursing research is still needed to raise nurses’ voices in shaping and implementing climate policies. As nursing research on climate change is in its early stage in Korea, only one study [10] emerged with the keywords of ‘climate’ and ‘nursing’ in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.
Despite their good awareness of the environmental impact on human health, it was only recently that nurses recognized how influential their role can be in climate change response [6]. Nursing discipline needs to provide resources to nurses so that they can take on leading roles in climate actions through nursing education, practice, and research.
To this end, first, climate-related content should be included in the undergraduate curriculum to help nursing students understand the impact of climate change on human health. Second, climate research funding needs to be provided to nursing researchers to encourage more studies on the topic. Third, continuing education programs and evidence-based practice should be developed to help nurses provide quality care with a better knowledge of the connection between climate change and human health. Lastly, the nursing academia should provide a platform where nurses can share ideas and work together to make a difference in future education, practice, and research for climate mitigation and adaptation. In addition, on this platform, nurses can be educated and trained for leadership and entrepreneurship to lead interdisciplinary collaborations, develop health policies, and even create start-ups to address global warming.
Climate change poses risks, but simultaneously, it will serve as an opportunity for us to expand the scope and capacity of our profession if we are ready to act.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

None.

DATA SHARING STATEMENT

Please contact the corresponding author for data availability.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

Conceptualization or/and Methodology: Jung Y.

Data curation or/and Analysis: None.

Funding acquisition: None.

Investigation: None.

Project administration or/and Supervision: None.

Resources or/and Software: None.

Validation: None.

Visualization: None.

Writing original draft or/and Review & Editing: Jung Y.

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        Climate Change and Nursing
        J Korean Acad Nurs. 2024;54(4):475-477.   Published online November 4, 2024
        DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.24098
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