Climate and the environment and RNAO
Active campaigns
HOOP actions
- RNAO Open Letter (Sept. 29, 2023)
- Joint OP-ED (Grinspun & McGrath, January 15, 2025)
- RNAO letter (March 20, 2026)
First Do No Harm
On April 23, RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun presented at the virtual launch of the First Do No Harm website – a hub for health professionals and public health organizations in the United States calling for fossil fuel divestment as a global health and justice imperative.
Dr. Grinspun spoke about RNAO’s longstanding work on environmental determinants of health, the contributions of RNAO’s Ontario Nurses for the Environment Interest Group (ONEIG) confronting the climate emergency, and our impactful collaboration with Shift: Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health calling on the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) to divest from fossil fuel investments.
RNAO also endorsed an open letter urging 400 senior U.S. hospital executives to divest from fossil fuels to protect public health.
Watch the presentation
Break the Fossil Influence
RNAO joined and is participating in this campaign, organized by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, of which RNAO is a member.
Join the campaign See the campaign poster
Watch the video
This campaign video, includes RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, calling to cut ties with PR and advertising firms that promote fossil fuels.
The Ontario Nurses for the Environment Interest Group (ONEIG)
ONEIG – an RNAO interest group – represents RNs in Ontario who wish to work together, towards improving environmental health. ONEIG engages, educates and empowers nurses to take action as individuals, partners and members of communities, with ongoing support from ONEIG and RNAO.
Environmental health issues are ecological and global. Nurses in Ontario must organize together as a group, to have a more effective venue with which to participate and influence all levels of government, including nationally and internationally.
Key milestones
2008
First position statement on environmental health
RNAO released its first position statement on environmental health.
2012
Position statement on Healthy Energy Solutions
RNAO released its position statement on Healthy Energy Solutions for Ontario.
2015
EDOH advocacy toolkit
Queen's Park on the Road (QPOR) developed an EDOH advocacy toolkit re toxins
2022
Endorses Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
RNAO endorsed the global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
2022
Reissues position statement on climate change
RNAO reissued its position statement on climate change, calling for urgent action to address the climate crisis.
2024
RNAO prioritizes climate change
RNAO prioritized climate change in its 2024 QPOR document - Political Action Bulletin: The climate crisis and health: Impacts on Ontario.
Pesticides, clean energy, greenbelt
RNAO's work on pesticides
- RNAO Pesticide Action Kit aids fight against pesticides, 2001
- Getting the Protection Right Submission to the Standing Committee on Social Affairs on Bill 64: Banning the Sale and Use of Cosmetic Pesticides June 9, 2008
- Our health, and the health of the planet. 2011
- Oppose Bill 88, Pesticides Amendment Act (Licence for Cosmetic Purposes), 2012
- Doctors, nurses call for ban on pesticides that many say are killing bees - Nov 18, 2014
- Regulatory Amendments to Ontario Regulation 63/09 under the Pesticides Act to Reduce the Use of Neonicotinoid Insecticides Submission to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change: EBR Registry Number 012-3733 May 4, 2015
RNAO's work toward a clean and sustainable energy future
- RNAO submission to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission - On the Draft Terms of Reference for the CNSC Potassium Iodide Pill Working Group - Feb. 14, 2019
- RNAO Submission to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on the Application to Renew the License of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station May 7, 2018
- RNAO Submission on the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP) 2017
RNAO's work to protect the greenbelt
- Take action together – five ways to make home affordable in Ontario - co-written by RNAO and coordinated by the Alliance for a Livable Ontario (ALO): advocate for building new homes where people already live and stop sprawl. 2024
- RNAO Bill 23 Submission
- To the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Culture Nov. 17, 2022
- Hands off the Greenbelt Action Alert 2022
Tackling the climate emergency
RNAO recognizes climate change as an immediate and escalating threat to human health, describing it as a climate emergency. The climate crisis has profound impacts on both public and individual health, including damage to physical and mental health – and even deaths – resulting from wildfires, air pollution, heat waves, flooding, vector-borne diseases and strain on health system infrastructures. RNAO calls for urgent and sustained action from all orders of government to mitigate climate change.
Mobilizing climate action
Experts agree that we have the tools required to tackle the climate emergency, and what is lacking is the political will to follow-through with action. RNAO will continue to advocate for science-based, at scale, policy. RNAO has taken numerous actions and will continue to do so. See our Provincial and Federal Election Platform, Action Alerts, Policy Submissions, Media Releases, messages to RNAO members, and partner/support civil society coalitions working on climate action.
Pre-budget Submissions: RNAO Pre-budget submissions are on an annual base. View all
- RNAO Ontario pre-budget submission - Feb. 3, 2025. See sections:
- 4. Environmental determinants of health
- 4.1 Climate crisis – greenhouse gas emissions
- RNAO federal pre-budget submission - Aug. 1, 2025. See section:
- Meeting climate commitments through clean energy transition
Other Submissions
CEO blog posts
- The Lancet calls for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health
- Statement from health organizations around the world: Urgent climate action required to protect people’s health
RNJ articles and posts
- Spring-Summer RNJ 2024 issue Caring for people and the planet, by Rob Samulack
- RNAO calls on HOOPP to get rid of fossil fuel holdings
- The Spring RNJ 2022 issue had a focus on DOH - and in that issue we published a Q&A with Rob Samulack about his trip to COP26 in Glasgow
- Nursing Ontarians in health and in illness - The Spring RNJ 2022 issue: Opinion from RNAO CEO
- Nursing Ontarians in health and in illness, Registered Nurse Journal
RNAO has been actively engaged with all three orders of government - federal, provincial and municipal – to advance policies that protect and address environmental determinants of health. The fight against climate change demands immediate and sustained action from all levels of government to mitigate a looming humanitarian catastrophe.
- Climate action is crucial for Canadians’ health, Oct. 22, 2025
- RNAO marks Earth Day with a call to action: Ban fossil fuels ads, April 22, 2024
- Ontario nurses urge PM to move ahead with a science-based emissions cap for oil and gas sector, Oct. 31, 2023
- Act today: RNAO calls to stop liquefied natural gas expansion in British Columbia, Aug. 29, 2023
- End Fossil Fuels - Climate Crisis rally and march 2023-09-16
- Surging temperatures demand a surge in action: Nurses call for action on climate breakdown at rallies across Ontario, RNAO.ca
Partners and coalitions
Addressing climate change requires collective effort because its effects are global and interconnected, impacting every aspect of life on Earth. No single organization can tackle the extensive and complex challenges alone. By forming coalitions, groups with other partners, RNAO can combine resources, share knowledge, and strengthen their advocacy. This collaborative approach ensures that diverse perspectives and strengths are utilized to develop more effective and fair solutions. Working together also builds a more resilient community, better equipped to handle and adapt to the effects of climate change.
