Fostering Environmental Stewardship: The Influence of Nurse Educator Self-leadership in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Background: The escalating effects of climate change pose grave threats to ecosystems and human health worldwide, intensifying inequalities and underscoring the urgent need for effective healthcare solutions. Responses to climate change appear as organised, systematic and bureaucratic efforts. Nurse educators, pivotal in shaping future nursing professionals through the teaching-learning process, have a significant potential to influence climate change mitigation and adaptation. This article advances the case for individual nurse educator engagement, personal commitment and behaviours in successful climate adaptation and mitigation in nursing education through an argumentative literature review of 11 articles published between 2019 and 2024. Methods: Argumentative literature review guided by McCullough’s framework. Results: Nurse educators are influential figures in educational institutions and, through engagement in self-leadership practices, can become agents of change who cultivate environmentally aware students actively engaged in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Conclusion: Nurse educators’ personal engagement, self-leadership, self-ownership for health, and deep connection to nature are essential for effectively teaching climate adaptation and mitigation in nursing education, influencing environmental sustainability. Support from institutional leaders enhances educators’ ability to foster climate-smart practices