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Canada’s Nurses have identified climate action as a priority. The 2019 discussion paper released by the Canadian Federation of Nurses’ Unions, Climate Change and Health: It’s Time for Nurses to Act, lays out six recommendations for how nurses can use their position of trust and authority to impact employer policies and even lobby government for meaningful change, while helping educate the broader community about the real impacts of climate change.
With this renewed focus on caring for our planet, now is a good time to look at what the NSNU is doing to reduce our environmental impact, and what the Government of Nova Scotia is working on to set and meet provincial sustainability goals.
What the NSNU is Doing
The NSNU has long been dedicated to mitigating our climate impact. Our new building, completed in 2016, was constructed with sustainability in mind. It uses less energy during non-peak hours, ensuring comfort for staff and guests during the workday and lower usage overnight. It also relies on electric heating and cooling rather than burning oil, and LED lighting throughout.
The union also fosters an environmentally conscious workplace. Staff are working to reduce their personal impact through every-day choices, like separating our recycling and organics from garbage, and limiting our use of single-use plastics in the office and during events.
In effort to help members obtain their personal conservation goals, the NSNU offers merchandise to make environmentally conscious decisions more attainable – reusable grocery bags, thermoses, water bottles, lunch bags and more.
Check out nsnu.ca/merchandise to see what we have that can help you meet your goals.
What the Province is Doing
In October 2021, the Government of Nova Scotia introduced the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, which sets 28 new goals aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conservation, waste reduction and more.
Some of the goals include:
- 80% of Nova Scotia’s energy to be supplied by renewable energy by 2030
- 30% of vehicle sales by 2030 to be zero-emission vehicles
- Conserve at least 20% of total land and water mass
- Develop a provincial food strategy and support consumption of local food
- Reduce solid waste disposal rates to no more than 300 kilograms per person per year by 2030
This new Act is being applauded by environmental groups as the best of its kind in our province, however they say it still doesn’t go far enough. They want Nova Scotia to be more ambitious, particularly around the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists also want short-term targets to keep goals on track, and want stronger language around offshore fossil fuel exploration, aquaculture, and environmental racism.
The Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act is just the most recent effort to improve our provincial impact on the environment. The Sustainable Development Goals Act, passed in 2019, set the most ambitious goals in the country for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at that time. More information about our provincial climate strategy can be found at climatechange.novascotia.ca.
The new goals put forward by the Nova Scotia government preceded the COP26 climate summit, which was held in Scotland in early November. Halifax Mayor Mike Savage attended the summit, along with farmers and other industry professionals from across the province. The summit concluded with a new global climate deal that calls for the phasing down of coal and other fossil fuel emissions. The UN calls these steps “building blocks for progress,” but says more action is needed to combat rising global temperatures.
