Teaching sustainability through disaster simulation: A framework for planetary health education.

BACKGROUND: Climate‑driven disasters are increasing in frequency and severity, creating prolonged recovery periods and widening existing health inequities. As extreme weather events intensify, healthcare professionals must be prepared to mitigate risks, adapt to evolving conditions, and understand how environmental degradation influences population health. Simulation‑based education provides a safe, flexible platform for introducing these concepts while fostering core competencies in disaster preparedness. APPROACHES: This article outlines strategies for integrating planetary health and sustainability principles into climate‑driven disaster simulations across preparedness, response, and recovery phases. Approaches include using low‑waste modalities such as tabletop, hybrid, and digital simulations; repurposing expired non‑sterile supplies; and designing scenarios that explicitly incorporate resource stewardship. We distinguish between sustainability as curricular content (what learners are taught) and sustainability as operational practice (how simulations are conducted), arguing that both must be addressed to reduce the environmental footprint of training while advancing climate fluency. Embedding sustainability objectives into learning outcomes, debriefings, and evaluation metrics enables learners to examine both their clinical decision‑making and the environmental implications of their actions. The article also highlights opportunities to incorporate climate and sustainability concepts across undergraduate and graduate curricula. These strategies promote systems thinking, strengthen interprofessional collaboration, and support the development of clinicians who understand the links between climate change, health disparities, and responsible use of healthcare resources. CONCLUSION: By integrating sustainability, mitigation, and adaptation principles into disaster simulations, educators can prepare future healthcare professionals to respond effectively to climate‑driven crises while reducing the environmental impact of training itself. This intentional approach strengthens disaster readiness and cultivates a culture of environmental responsibility across health professional education This dual approach reframes disaster simulation as both clinical preparation and climate action within health professions education.

Duke Scholars

Author Valerie K. Sabol School of Nursing

Author Nicole Blodgett School of Nursing