Physicians, nurses, and other health professionals have a unique capacity to understand and communicate about Planetary Health challenges and the strategies that individuals can take to safeguard their health and the health of the environment.
Photo by Eben Kassaye on Unsplash
C4PH is a global effort to galvanize health professionals, patients, and communities around Planetary Health through lifestyle modifications and activism.
Clinicians are people providing healthcare for individuals and communities. This includes physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, dietitians, healers, health workers, and others.
Over 1,000 clinicians from around the world have formally signed on to the Clinicians for Planetary Health initiative, expressing their commitment to addressing global environmental change and its health impacts.
More than 30 organizations co-signed the global call to action released in The Lancet on Earth Day 2019, which called on health communities around the world to take action on Planetary Health.
Through communicating the urgency of planetary health challenges via a global clinical network, we can spur individual-level behaviour change and bottom-up environmental action.
A call for clinicians to act on planetary health
The Lancet. 2021.
Clinician Organizations
See the 30+ organizations that co-signed The Lancet call to action
Planetary Health for Family Medicine Residents and Teachers
Feldman, L., Vinegar, M., and Yu, K.
To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2025, our working group launched these planetary health education tools made specifically for Family Medicine residents and teachers. This work was generously supported by the Education Development Fund from Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the DFCM.
Examining Canadian hospitals’ support for planetary health through the implementation of green teams and sustainability offices. Journal of Healthcare Leadership.
Nursing for the Future of Human and Planetary Health: Integrating Planetary Health Perspectives into Education and Practice
Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)
This Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) policy column addresses the growing need for nurses to adopt a Planetary Health perspective amid rising climate-related and environmental health challenges. The column highlights the formal inclusion of Planetary Health in Japan’s Model Core Curriculum for Nursing Education starting in academic year 2026, and emphasizes its relevance for undergraduate training, community-based care, and continuing professional development in a changing climate.
