Sustainable Nursing Practice
Use this guide to find information resources about sustainable nursing practice including books, reports and journal articles.
Key Resources
¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾ (2021) Leaving no-one behind: the role of the nursing profession in achieving the United Nations sustainable development goals in the UK. London: ¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾.
Health Care Without Harm Europe (2020) Health Care Without Harm.
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HCWH Europe is a non-profit European coalition of health organisations working to transform health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental footprint.
NHS England: Delivering a net zero NHS.
NHS National Services Scotland: Access climate change and sustainability tools.
Public Health Wales: Health and sustainability.
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The NurSus project aims to develop innovative teaching and learning approaches for Sustainability Literacy and Competency (SLC) within nurse education.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (2022) Climate change 2022: impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the sixth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press.
UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (2025) Building a climate-resilient health system in the UK.
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The United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by UN Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for people and the planet, now and into the future. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
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Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Health
Books
Akhtar R and Palagiano C (2017) Climate change and air pollution: the impact on human health in developed and developing countries. Cham: Springer.
Berners-Lee M (2020) How bad are bananas? The carbon footprint of everything. London: Profile Books.
Davies L, Daellenbach R and Kensington M (2021) Sustainability, midwifery and birth. 2nd edn. Oxford: Routledge.
Gao M, Wang Z and Carmichael G (2021) Air pollution, climate and health an integrated perspective on their interactions. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Gerwig K (2014) Greening health care: how hospitals can heal the planet. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Levy B S and Patz J (2015) Climate change and public health. New York: Oxford University Press.
Marmot M (2015) The health gap: the challenge of an unequal world. London: Bloomsbury.
Marshall G (2015) Don't even think about it: why our brains are wired to ignore climate change. Paperback. London: Bloomsbury.
Mohrman S A and Shani A B (2012) Organizing for sustainable healthcare. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited.
Pinkerton K E and Rom W N (2021) Climate change and global public health. Cham: Springer.
Rich C R, Singleton J K and Wadhwa S S (2018) Sustainability for healthcare management: a leadership imperative. 2nd edn. Milton: Routledge Ltd.
Rosa W (2017) A new era in global health: nursing and the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development. New York: Springer.
Marchand D, Weiss, K and Pol E (2023) 100 Key Concepts in Environmental Psychology. 1st edn. Milton: Routledge.
Robertson M (2021) Sustainability principles and practice. 3rd edn. London: Routledge.
Sieh E and McGregor J (2017) Human dignity: establishing worth and seeking solutions. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Schroeder K, Thompson T, Frith K and Pencheon D (2013) Sustainable healthcare. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Book subject searches
Journal articles
Explore
¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾ exhibition: You mean the world: nursing in a climate crisis -
The exhibition explores the past, present and future of nursing in the face of the climate emergency. Themes include industrial nursing and air pollution, the impact of reusable vs. single-use nursing tools and nursing activism.
View online exhibition
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GreenFILE is a database covering research into the impact of humans on the environment. Subjects covered include pollution and its effects on human health, as well as waste management and recycling.
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The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare offers strategic input and consultancy on sustainable healthcare research and practice to national and local programmes.
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Green Walking in Mental Health Recovery aims to promote and improve access to green spaces for general adult psychiatric inpatients. It is funded by a grant from the Network for Social Change and delivered by the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare in partnership with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
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Five short animations explaining concepts and answering important questions related to the climate.
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Environmental footprint calculator.
Videos
TED (2021) The tragedy of air pollution and an urgent demand for clean air: Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah.
James Carney
Editor of this guide
¹úÄÚ¾«Æ·ÒÁÈ˾þþþø¾ Library and Museum
Page last updated - 15/08/2025