The health effects of climate change: what does a nurse need to know?

The scientific evidence for anthropogenic climate change has been established with increasing precision and there are widespread concerns about its potential to undermine the public health gains of the past century. There is also a growing consensus across private and public sector organisations at national and international level that carbon reduction should be a policy aim. Various international nursing organisations have made strong position statements on the issue, arguing that nurses should be actively engaged as part of their roles in both health promotion and clinical practice. We point to education for sustainability initiatives in other health professions and share resources for curriculum development in nursing. The nurses of tomorrow will make a unique and significant contribution to protecting population health in an unstable climate, if today's nursing educators can help prepare them for this role.