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“Climate action IS public health action” – Dr. Teresa Tam; Chief Public Health Officer of Canada

Canada.ca

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A new United Nations report on climate change includes a “code red” for humanity. The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that persistent, sustained global emissions have now made it impossible to prevent a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius, and that irreparable damage is being done to the planet. The Earth is at a pivotal turning point – with a narrow window of time to take large-scale action to reduce emission and prevent temperatures from warming uncontrollably over the next 30 years. The IPCC report is the most dire warning ever issued on climate change.

In May 2022, Dr Theresa Tam, Chief Medical Officer in Canada released a report in which she states: Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity and the livability of the planet. In Canada and around the world, we are already feeling the health impacts and, if left unchecked, these will be considerably more serious and wider reaching.

When sufficiently resourced, public health systems are well positioned to play an important role in reducing these health risks and impacts. Climate action IS public health action: by advocating for health environments like walkable neighborhoods, cycling and public transportation we decrease the burden of disease. Promoting tree canopies can help with air quality and decrease surface temperatures, green buildings can reduce emisions.

For us to be healthy, our air, land water and ecosystems must also be healthy. It is time to rethink our place in the natural world.

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Learning to treat the climate emergency together: social tipping interventions by the health community; Courtney Howard, MD, Andrea J MacNeill, MD, Fintan Hughes, MB, et al; The Lancet Planetary Health 2023 7e251-e264DOI: (10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00022-0

Climate-change Related Impacts on Health and Health Systems

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Category	Climate and Related Environmental Hazards	Health Impacts
TEMPERATURE EXTREMES	More frequent and more severe heat waves are highly likely across most of Canada �	Increased heat-related illness Exacerbated cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory diseases Reduced cold exposure in some places
AIR QUALITY	Warmer temperatures are likely to promote smog and degrade urban air quality More frequent and larger wildfires across much of Canada will increase exposure to smoke Temperature and precipitation shifts will affect where and how much pollen is in the air �	Increased shortness of breath Worsening pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease Increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease with chronic exposure
LANDS AND ECOSYSTEMS	Changing temperatures and snow conditions may impact recreational activities like skiing, skating, and canoeing Sea level rise, ecosystem shifts, and permafrost thaw will damage places that are culturally significant Shorter sea ice seasons, changing snow cover, and shifting wind patterns will impact travel conditions for Indigenous harvesters Severe weather may damage crops and disrupt food supplies Thawing permafrost and increased runoff could mobilize contaminants �	Increased risk of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression Increased stress and uncertainty Threatened water and food security, particularly for communities that rely on fish, wildlife, and traditional medicines �
POPULATION DISPLACEMENT	Sea level rise will make some coastal neighbourhoods in Canada uninhabitable Increased risk of flooding and wildfires in some regions may cause people to move Droughts, fire, and other climate hazards will likely increase global displacement �	Increased risk of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depression Increased stress and uncertainty Risk of emerging and infectious disease as populations move and urban areas become denser �
INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND PESTS	Changing ecosystems shift where and when diseases and pests are a risk �	Changed exposure to infectious diseases Threatened food security �
EXTREME AND SEVERE WEATHER Clark, D. G., R. Ness, D. Coffman, D. Beugin. 2021. The Health Costs of Climate Change: How Canada Can Adapt, Prepare, and Save Lives. Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. https://climatechoices.ca/reports/ the-health-costs-of-climate-change/	Severe weather-related disasters (including floods, wildfires, and tornadoes) will become more frequent and catastrophic in many regions �	Disrupted health services Increased risk of injuries Increased risk of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depression �

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“The climate crisis is not just an environmental issue: it’s a public health issue. It’s also a housing issue. It’s an education issue. It’s an economic issue. It touches every aspect of our lives”�- Ian Culbert (Executive Director; Canadian Public Health Association)

Key Recommendations:

All orders of government should implement health adaptation policies to address both the symptoms and root causes of climate-related health threats.
Canada’s emerging national adaptation strategy should map all key adaptation policy levers across government departments and orders of government against top climate health impact areas. (working with indigenous partners)
Central agencies in federal, provincial, and territorial governments should explicitly incorporate health resilience into climate lenses to inform cost-benefit analyses and policy decisions.
Governments should invest in research on emerging, unknown and local climate change health impacts.

Climate choices.ca

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Health Co-benefits of Measures that Decrease Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Learning to treat the climate emergency together: social tipping interventions by the health community; Courtney Howard, MD, Andrea J MacNeill, Canad, Fintan Hughes, MB et al; The Lancet Planetary Health 2023 7e251-e264DOI: (10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00022-0)

Canadian Climate choices.ca

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Achieving Net Zero Healthcare

Individual:

Sustainable prescribing practices
Appropriate use of health care services
Health promotion; prevention & chronic disease management

Organizational:

Expand appropriate virtual care programs
Use energy efficient and low emissions standards in health care facilities; reduce waste and reprocess
Healthy diet (plant based) and reusable and waste reduction in food services.

System:

Robust primary health care system
Prepare for climate emergencies with training and preparedness plans.
Implement climate resistant infrastructure

CMA.ca

BMJ.com

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Cascadescanada.ca

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References

Romanello M, Di Napoli C, Drummond P, et al. The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: change health at the mercy of fossil fuels. Lancet 2022; 400: 1619-54.
Courtney Howard, MD, Andrea J MacNeill, MD, Fintan Hughes, et al; Learning to treat the climate emergency together: social tipping interventions by the health community; Lancet Planet Health 2023;7: e251-64
Clark, D. G., R. Ness, D. Coffman, D. Beugin. 2021. The Health Costs of Climate Change: How Canada Can Adapt, Prepare, and Save Lives. Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. https://climatechoices.ca/reports/ the-health-costs-of-climate-change/
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/publications/chief-public-health-officer-reports-state-public-health-canada/state-public-health-canada-2023/report.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/publications/chief-public-health-officer-reports-state-public-health-canada/state-public-health-canada-2022/report.html
Sherman, J et al; Net zero healthcare: a call for clinician action;BMJ 2021:374:n1323
https://www.cma.ca/our-focus/net-zero-emissions-health-system/why-canada-needs-net-zero-health-system
https://www.afmc.ca/initiatives/planetaryhealthdeclaration/
https://Cascadescanada.ca

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