Climate Justice
Nurses know that the climate crisis is also a health crisis. As frontline caregivers, we see firsthand the impacts of climate change, including increases in disease and catastrophic harm from extreme weather events. As nurses committed to public health, we have an important role to play in reducing harm to our patients—and the planet.
How New York Nurses Fight for a Healthy Planet
NYSNA has been on the frontlines of the climate justice movement since our members acted heroically in the face of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. They safely evacuated hundreds of patients, and resumed quality patient care. In the days and weeks after the storm, NYSNA members went door-to-door in affected areas to assess medical needs and provide medical attention to people without electricity or running water.
NYSNA has deepened its commitment to combating climate change and supporting communities in need since then. NYSNA started the NY Relief Network (NYRN), now a separate non-profit organization, which has deployed medical missions to the Philippines, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands following typhoons and hurricanes. As members of National Nurses United, nurses have the opportunity to volunteer with the RN Relief Network to deliver care in disaster-stricken areas.
We created the NYSNA Climate Justice Committee to combat the effects of climate change, such as disease from air pollution, inadequate access to clean water, and lead poisoning in substandard housing. And NYSNA is part of coalitions that work on forward-thinking clean energy and good job solutions that build the movement for climate justice, like NY Renews, Climate Jobs NY, and Climate Works for All.
