Environmental Justice and Equity in Canadian Nursing for Planetary Health: An Integrative Review

Abstract

As planetary health challenges intensify, Canadian nurses are increasingly called to act for human health, health equity, and the health of the living world upon which humans depend. This integrative review explores how Canadian nurses have engaged with environmental justice and equity in the context of planetary health (including environmental health and climate change) over the past 25 years. Guided by Whittemore and Knafl's five-phase framework, 52 documents were analyzed from databases including CINAHL, MEDLINE, GreenFILE, Environment Index, Web of Science, and grey literature sources. Two overarching concept areas emerged: Environmental Equity and Justice in Nursing and Nursing for Planetary Health. Findings were organized across research, education, advocacy, and practice domains. Although the term “environmental justice” was used infrequently, its principles were widely reflected across the literature, with Indigenous environmental justice emerging as a distinct and critical area of emphasis. Nurses’ primary contributions were situated in advocacy and education. The review highlights key gaps and future directions, including the need to diversify research methodologies, strengthen community-based collaborations, address health impacts among equity-denied populations, and integrate biodiversity, spirituality, and faith into nursing for planetary health. Developing environmental justice-informed planetary health nursing theory is also identified as an important next step. By grounding the profession in environmental justice, nursing is better positioned to engage with and respond to the complex, interrelated health challenges facing people, communities, and ecosystems on a rapidly changing planet.