On this 50th anniversary of Earth Day, humans worldwide are celebrating their home planet from the confines of home, with their families. Six months ago, when we began developing the IFNA Position Statement on Planetary Health and Family Health, we proposed a launch of this document to coincide with Earth Day 2020, which seemed fitting. We could not have imagined the global health crisis that would emerge in the interim. Yet the current situation has made poignantly clear the link between the health of the planet and human behaviour.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to forced isolation of millions of families around the globe, with stay-at-home orders and shuttering of businesses. As we have retreated into our homes, a striking consequence has become apparent in our neighbourhoods, cities, and landscapes: an eerie quiet has settled in, wildlife is emerging from hiding, and skies are clearing of pollution. Seismologists are reporting decreased quivering of the Earth’s crust, with fewer humans moving about. The stark reality of human-caused disruptions of the planet’s ecosystems is setting in. The planet Earth seems to be thriving in our absence.
We share this planet with all creatures and ecosystems, and we need to get along in order to survive. This pandemic will pass, and humans will emerge from their homes and resume the very activities that harm the planet. Yet this isn’t an all-or-nothing predicament: we don’t need to resume our pre-pandemic ways of being in relationship with the planet. We can emerge from our isolation and into the world with a new understanding of our connection with the Earth, and a commitment to actions that support both planetary health and family health.
Planetary health is a concept focused on the relationship between the Earth’s natural systems and human health. Using a planetary health lens enables us to appreciate the link between human health and the environment, and to consider actions that promote positive outcomes for human and planetary health. The IFNA Position Statement on Planetary Health and Family Health outlines nine essential activities and outcomes for the organization that incorporates a planetary health lens to promote family health and minimize our negative impact on the environment.
Over the past six months, we have had the privilege of developing this position statement with a global network of IFNA members, key stakeholders, and experts. As an ad hoc committee authorized by the IFNA Board of Directors, we implemented the process outlined in IFNA’s Policy and Procedure for Writing Position Statements and Issue Papers. With consultation from the co-chairs of the IFNA Practice, Research, and Education committees and external content experts, we developed a draft that was distributed to IFNA members for review and comment over a 30-day period.
The response from members and stakeholders was overwhelmingly positive and supportive. The topic is perceived as relevant and urgent to members and to families worldwide. The most common question was: How are we going to implement this? We realized early on that we could not tackle improved planetary health as a primary outcome of the statement itself – this statement is intended to inform and offer direction to healthcare professionals, educators, policymakers, and the public. The next stage is critical: now we must act.
What this position statement adds to the existing body of literature and resources is the explicit focus on the link between family health and planetary health. More than just a bioecological context for individual health, planetary health has a vital link to the family. For example, increasing rates of acute and chronic illness due to climate change have led to shifts in caregiving responsibilities within families. Food shortages resulting from crop failure have led to food insecurity and family migration. Local instability in low-resource communities during disasters leads to displacement of families from their homes. All of these changes have the potential for prolonged family stress, mental health consequences, and the transmission of trauma across generations. Planetary health matters to families, and this matters to family nurses.
The IFNA Position Statement on Planetary Health and Family Health takes a bold stance on our responsibility to act on the known linkages between planetary health and family health. So how are we going to implement the activities outlined in this new position statement? There is a robust body of resources already available for educators, researchers, and practitioners who wish to improve the health of families and the planet. We urge family nurses and IFNA members to use the standing committee structure of the organization and to incorporate a planetary health lens in identifying and disseminating strategies for family nursing education, research, and practice.
Family nursing educators can use existing resources such as planetary health syllabi from the Planetary Health Alliance, the free e-textbook Environmental Health in Nursing, and learning objectives and case studies from the Sustainable Healthcare Education network to incorporate this content either as standalone courses or integrated across existing courses in a program.
There is a critical need for new knowledge about how the earth’s ecosystems impact family health and interventions to support family adaptation and resilience. Family nursing researchers can use the searchable bibliography on planetary health that is curated by the Planetary Health Alliance to inform current and future research on the link between planetary health and family health.
Through generalist and advanced family nursing practice, nurses have a direct and essential impact on family health through assessment and intervention. One example of family nursing practice strategies developed in response to a global health crisis is the COVID-19 Family Nursing Resources page on the IFNA website, with a curated set of information and resources specific to families, nurses, and family nursing. Walsh’s Family Resilience Framework is another resource for family assessment and intervention that can guide practice in the context of planetary health-related changes in family health.
Finally, the position statement outlines some practical strategies that our organization can take to minimize our negative impact on the planet, such as holding “green meetings” and considering responsible travel practices such as those outlined by the Center for Responsible Travel and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
Together, we can make a difference for the health of the planet and for the health of families. IFNA’s position is clear: planetary health matters to families, and urgent action by family nurses is required in order to protect the health of families. Please join us in celebrating Earth Day, and commit to taking action as we re-emerge into the world over the coming months.
We leave you with these words from the poet Mary Oliver, in her poem, Invitation:
It is a serious thing
just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in this broken world.
I beg of you,
do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance.
It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life.
Wendy Looman, Paula Nersesian, and Katie Huffling
Wendy Looman, PhD, APRN, CPNP, is a Professor and Chair of the Child and Family Health Cooperative at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing and a member of the IFNA Board of Directors. You can follow her on Twitter at @looma003.
Paula Nersesian, PhD, MPH, RN, is an Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and a liaison between the IFNA Communications and Research Committees. You can follow her on Twitter at @PaulaNersesian.
Katie Huffling, MS, RN, CNM, is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Executive Director of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. She works with nurses and nursing organizations on environmental health issues including climate change and inclusion of environmental health into nursing education.
Image Credits: Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/vectors/nature-tree-forest-sunset-sky-4849938/
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/tree-moon-night-sky-landscape-3335115/
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/trees-branches-abstract-colors-3174717/
