Climate Justice Perspectives and Experiences of Nurses and Their Community Partners

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Public Health Policy
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• The global climate crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, highlighting health inequities.
• Climate justice integrates climate change impacts with societal structural injustices.
• Nurses and community-based organizations (CBOs) are key partners in advancing health equity and climate justice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how nurses and CBOs perceive and experience climate justice in their communities.
• To understand the lived realities of climate justice through the perspectives of frontline health professionals and community advocates.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive mixed-methods study employing participatory photo mapping.
• Combines participatory photography, community mapping, and interviews to capture climate justice experiences.
• Recruited eight nursing and CBO partnerships across six U.S. states.

Main Results:

• Participants identified colonial severance from Nature as a root of climate injustice.
• State violence and corporate pollution were recognized as detrimental to public health.
• Climate justice was conceptualized as a restorative process, emphasizing spiritual connections with Nature, community care, belonging, and abundance.
• Planetary health and well-being were central themes in participants' climate justice experiences.

Conclusions:

• Nurses and CBOs are vital in addressing climate injustice and promoting health equity.
• Restoring human-Nature relationships is crucial for achieving climate justice and community well-being.
• Further research is needed to identify barriers and facilitators for implementing climate justice initiatives.