Planetary Health Toolkit: Learning Activities and Assessment Items for Healthcare Students
Levett-Jones, T
Abbott, B
Andrew, L
Barbour, L
Bonnamy, J
Cornish, J
Correia Moll FHEA, E
Crevacore, C
Fields, L
Foster, A
Johnston, S
McCartan, J
Moroney, T
Pich, J
Samarakoon, D
Saravanos, G
Richards, C
Tulleners, T
Tutticci, N
Ward, A
Whitehead, C
Young, M
Zimmerman, P-A
Abbott, B
Andrew, L
Barbour, L
Bonnamy, J
Cornish, J
Correia Moll FHEA, E
Crevacore, C
Fields, L
Foster, A
Johnston, S
McCartan, J
Moroney, T
Pich, J
Samarakoon, D
Saravanos, G
Richards, C
Tulleners, T
Tutticci, N
Ward, A
Whitehead, C
Young, M
Zimmerman, P-A
- Publication Type:
- Internet Publication
- Citation:
- 2025
- Issue Date:
- 2025-11-30
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The impact of climate change on global health is undeniable and as extreme weather events escalate, healthcare systems face growing pressures. The direct health implications are substantial, encompassing not only immediate injuries and fatalities but also long-term psychological, physical, and social health consequences. Extreme weather events have also revealed critical vulnerabilities in health emergency responses and infrastructure resilience.
At the heart of these challenges lies the broader imperative of planetary health—the recognition that human health is inseparable from the health of the Earth’s natural systems. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation are interconnected threats that demand integrated, sustainable, and justice-oriented responses.
Healthcare professionals play a crucial role, not only in emergency responses, but also in driving health system mitigation and adaptation to climate change and pollution. Their understanding of how healthcare contributes to environmental degradation and their frontline experiences in addressing the health outcomes of climate-driven disasters position them to contribute meaningfully to resilience-building and planetary health strategies.
Across the world, healthcare organisations have called upon educators to prepare a workforce capable of practising in a more sustainable, equitable, and environmentally responsible way. Yet, many educators report a lack of confidence to integrate these complex and interdependent concepts into their teaching and student assessment. This toolkit has been designed to address this issue. It brings together a set of structured learning and teaching activities and assessment items aimed at strengthening healthcare students’ knowledge, skills and leadership in planetary health. Each activity reflects contemporary evidence and provides a practical way of connecting theory to action.
The Planetary Health, Climate Change and Sustainable Healthcare: Essential Knowledge and Skills Framework has been used as a pedagogical scaffold in the toolkit with the aim of supporting curricula integration. Through engagement with the activities and assessment items, learners will be encouraged to explore the health impacts of climate and environmental change, develop their understanding of planetary health, mitigation and adaptation, practise communication, discharge planning and advocacy skills, and design solutions that build system resilience and sustainability.
The activities can be used in flexible and creative ways across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Many of the learning and teaching activities can be adapted into assessment items—and similarly, many of the assessment items can be used as teaching activities—to promote deep learning and authentic engagement with the principles of planetary health.
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