Written By Naomi Tutticci
We see all around us and exist in the cycle of life. Humans and animals experience this cycle through birth, living and death. The plant world seeks to thrive by displays of colour and scent to attract pollinators, reproduce and provide food and then die. The symbiosis of plant and animal/human life is the shared use and recycling of oxygen and carbon dioxide to sustain life. This parallel but shared experience of living describes the human experience of empathy. That is understanding of another’s situation by having faced the same or similar experiences. We are interconnected to the animal and plant kingdoms throughout the cycle of life, and we thrive when this connection is healthy.
Empathy comes from a shared experience that brings understanding, compassion and an objective perspective. Empathy for humans and between humans is a skill that is taught by nurses and midwives for the next generation of nursing and midwifery professionals to provide person/mother-centred care. How do we and should we teach empathetic interactions with our nonhuman stakeholder, the planet?
The planet is an equal stakeholder in our health care system, thus ethically and morally we should be interacting with the planet in a similar way to our human stakeholders. Can we create a bridge to the natural world through human and non-human perspectives is a question asked by Talgorn and Ullerup (2023). I believe that as nurses and midwives, we have the skills and experience to be sensitive to the needs of the planet, and to support practice that balances the health needs of the planet with human and animal stakeholders. How can we expand our thinking and thus behaviour to apply the principles of humility, compassion and discernment to our interactions with, and use of resources from the planet to thrive? How can we relieve the suffering of the planet and enhance its well-being?
Climate change distress can lead to overwhelming emotions that affect our rational thinking and objectivity. Empathy is an active response to a person’s distress, a preferred professional attribute than sympathy when problem-solving is required. Person or mother-centred care is characterised by empathy, which requires the gathering of knowledge about and connecting with the person or mother, without bias or prejudice. When we expand our focus to encapsulate person or mother-centred care with planetary health we can use natural history and First Nations lived experience to connect with and better understand our non-human stakeholder, Earth.
Elise Talgorn, & Helle Ullerup. (2023). Invoking ‘Empathy for the Planet’ through Participatory Ecological Storytelling: From Human-Centered to Planet-Centered Design. Sustainability, 15(7794), 7794. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107794
About the author: Naomi is an avid outdoor enthusiast and weekend warrior trail runner. Stopping and soaking up the view whilst running gives her a chance to catch her breath. Nursing is also part of her DNA and the two are connected by her passion for planetary health. This is expressed often by ‘left field’ thinking as to how as nurses we can reconceptualise our relationship with the planet. The thoughts expressed in this piece are her opinions which are influenced by referenced material and a good dose of living.