Student and Early Career Nurses Speak Out for the Health of the Planet

A new statement released by student and early career nurses through the International Council of Nurses (ICN) expresses deep concern over the global environmental crisis and its escalating impact on human health.

In a unified voice, the members of the ICN Nursing Student Steering Group have issued a bold declaration recognizing the urgent threat posed by environmental degradation. Their message is clear: the impact of environmental degradation and the climate crisis is not a future concern - it is reshaping healthcare now.

“These are not distant threats,” the statement reads, “but real events that are rapidly shaping our clinical environments, influencing the communities we serve and affecting our mental health and wellbeing.”

Backed by ICN’s Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses, the group calls for:

• Recognition of student and early career nurses as essential to advancing planetary health.
• Integration of planetary health into nursing education.
• Nursing curricula that prepare nurses to advocate for sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient health systems.

Dr Pamela Cipriano, ICN President, commended the statement, saying:

“I am inspired by these young nurses who are recognizing their responsibilities and stepping up to take action. Their proactive stance shows they are ready to lead the transformation our health systems need to survive and thrive.”

The statement concludes with a powerful pledge:

“We are ready to learn, lead and act – grounded in the ethics of our profession and inspired by the vision of a healthy and sustainable world. Because there is no health without a healthy planet and there is no future of health without the education of nurses who are prepared to protect it. Nurse the planet. Heal the future.”

This statement was prepared by members of the ICN Nursing Student Steering Group: Marlene Juhl, Dimas Dwi Nugraha, Soyeon Park, Carlos Irenko Toro Molina, Molieane Daniel Setholi and Alreem Bukhamseen.

To read the full statement and join the call to action, visit here.