As the world’s largest professional nursing association, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) recognises climate change as the most significant global health threat we face. We declare the climate emergency as a health and ecological emergency that requires urgent action.

Nursing is uniquely placed to advocate, educate, identify and lead solutions-based action to mitigate the risks associated with global temperature increases and improve and protect the health and wellbeing of UK and international patients and citizens. Our expertise, diverse roles and high levels of trust invested in us from patients and the public enables us to lead and address the consequences of and prevent exacerbation of climate change.

It is essential that nurses are enabled to practice sustainability and contribute to the transformation of health and care services that are needed both now and in the future that require action from across governments, providers, and commissioners of care. We, the RCN, must also increase our support for the nursing profession and our members to enable them to deliver the action and change needed.

The RCN commits to action and advocacy in our dual role as a Trade Union and professional body to enable improved population health and resilience of our health and care services. We also commit to creating a sustainable business model that enhances our role and function in the following ways:

We will:

Our operations

• Embed sustainability in our governance and operational structures to ensure that as a leader the RCN demonstrates commitment to sustainable change.
• Commit to reducing the impact of our RCN UK-wide estate and influencing other venues we use to be more sustainable.
• Work to ensure our investments and financial operations demonstrate our ambition to divest from fossil fuels focusing on ethical and responsible financial planning.

Professional practice

• Work with members to identify priorities to address the impact on nursing practice to influence and demonstrate positive change.
• Engage with our members on sustainability through our campaigns and programmes of work including local branch activity, member communities of practice and RCN Forums.
• Champion the ethical and financial benefits and urgent need to work at pace to adapt to the changing climate and build climate resilience.
• Grow the evidence base for nursing activity on climate change in all areas of practice, sharing outcomes through a repository of evidence and research.
• Work with international nursing associations to maximise learning and opportunities for impactful change.

Activism and policy development

• Recognise that tackling climate change cannot be managed in isolation and will work collaboratively with other scientific, political, regulatory, trade union, professional, and national health and care delivery organisations to champion investment in nursing and make a compelling case for change.
• Focus on protecting those who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and reduce inequalities by advocating at the national and international level for urgent action to mitigate and adapt to deal with the impacts of climate change.
• Ensure that RCN policy positioning and influencing work is underpinned by evidence and aligned to our RCN positions on nursing related issues.

Education

• Work with members to scope educational priorities to support nursing practice, leadership and professional development on sustainability at all levels of nursing careers.
• Integrate sustainability into our educational and professional practice development programmes.
• Ensure sustainability is visible and inclusive of all RCN conferences and RCN Congress.

Next steps

RCN members recognise the need for collaborative action at the national, regional and local levels that supports the nursing profession to practice in a sustainable way. Our members have told us that there must be clear action from nursing staff, the RCN, the professional regulator, governments, commissioners and providers, to achieve real change.

The RCN will continue to promote the voice of nursing on this critical health issue. We will continue to collaborate with our partners for example via the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC) and work with our members and the wider nursing profession to make a compelling case for change.

Review date: 2026