Why should Occupational Therapists care about climate change?
Changing climatic conditions are disrupting occupations and perpetuating occupational injustices, while daily occupations also have an environmental footprint. [1] As climate change leads to rises in chronic illnesses, displacement and climate distress, it will have increasing effects on practice. [1] It is our professional responsibility to use our voices and act in ways that promote sustainability.
We acknowledge that is not the role of a single individual to tackle climate change. Many people taking small steps together is how we address on massive problems and we need people working in all contexts. Need some ideas where to start? Click here.
Examples of how climate change impacts human health
Example of how climate change impacts occupations
[1] Du, J., Bird, A., Boniface, G., Boniface, J., & Mortenson, W. B. (2025). The Perceived Role of Occupational Therapists in Climate Change. Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d’ergotherapie, 92(1), 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174241259304
[2] Craik J, Nour S, Devitt K, Miller FA. Sustainable Occupational Therapy version 1.0 (2024) [Internet]. CASCADES (Creating a Sustainable Canadian Health System in a Climate Crisis). [June 2024]. Available from https://cascadescanada.ca/resources/occupational-therapy-playbook/