Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Planetary Health Team has released a  policy recommendation, “Model Core Curriculum for Nursing Education Looking Towards the Future of Post-SDGs: The Necessity of a Planetary Health Perspective Including Climate Change and Health.”

Currently, the Liaison and Coordination Committee on the Revision of the Model Core Curriculum for Nursing Education, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Higher Education Bureau, Medical Education Division is working on the revision of the Model Core Curriculum for Nursing Education. In the new curriculum for medical education, which began to be implemented in 2024, a new section entitled “Climate Change and Medical Care” has been added as qualities and abilities expected of doctors, anticipating the needs of society twenty years from now.

In recent decades, countries around the world have become increasingly aware of the importance of introducing curricula that promote a comprehensive understanding of “sustainability” and “planetary health” in the education of healthcare professionals. This includes reference to the health challenges posed by emerging infectious diseases and weather-related disasters due to global environmental changes such as climate change, as well as discussion of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals).

In Japan, the “Guidelines for the Implementation of the SDGs” (revised on December 19, 2023) and the “Sixth Basic Environmental Plan” (cabinet decision on May 21, 2024) include the perspective of planetary health. Furthermore, at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva on March 28, 2024, Mr. Akihisa Shiozaki, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, formally expressed its participation in the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH). This has led to increased interest and initiatives in planetary health.

HGPI has launched the Planetary Health Project in FY2022 and has been engaged in multi-stakeholder discussions among industry, government, academia, and the private sector. Taking into account the domestic and international social contexts and trends regarding climate change and health, we propose the following recommendations for the Model Core Curriculum for Nursing Education in order to anticipate the future in Japan and cultivate nursing professionals capable of addressing this issue.

1. “Qualities” and “Abilities” required in nursing education looking toward the future of post-SDGs

• In ethical conduct as nursing professionals, it is necessary to understand documents such as the International Council of Nurses (ICN) statement titled “Nurses, Climate Change and Health” (2018), and an understanding of environmental rights
• It is essential to generalize the concept of “planetary health” in understanding the relationship between the environment and health

2. The current state of nursing education and three specific future considerations

• It is necessary to strengthen the “planetary health” perspective and for nurses and health care professionals to learn about knowledge and methods to create social movements to change people’s attitudes
• From the perspective of equity and social justice, it is essential to consider and address inequalities due to diversity and intergenerational inequalities due to the effects of climate change
• There is a need to learn about the decarbonization of healthcare (mitigation measures) in order to halt the progression of climate change

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