New Report from Health Canada: Human Health in a Changing Climate
Health Canada Releases New Report on Human Health in a Changing Climate: A Canadian Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptive Capacity
(see the press release below)
OVERVIEW
Climate change is expected to increase risks to the health of Canadians through many pathways: the food they eat, the air they breathe, the water they drink, and their exposure to extreme weather events and infectious diseases found in nature.
Adaptation helps us prepare now for the expected changes by taking proactive actions to minimize risks. Understanding existing health vulnerabilities in society and among specific population groups allows decision makers within and outside of the health sector to target their resources, policies and program priorities in order to better protect Canadians. The following points represent key conclusions from this assessment of risks to health from climate change.
- The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in 2007, confirms that climate change is occurring and impacting a range of natural and human systems both within and outside of Canada.
- Climate change scenarios project an increased risk of extreme weather and other climate-related events in Canada such as floods, drought, forest fires and heat waves—all of which increase health risks to Canadians.
- The air Canadians breathe is affected by climate. Air quality in many Canadian communities is likely to be affected by climate change through increased smog formation, wildfires, pollen production and greater emissions of air contaminants due to changed personal behaviours—all increasing risks to health.
- Climate change is likely to increase risks associated with some infectious diseases across the country, and may result in the emergence of diseases that are currently thought to be rare in or exotic to Canada.
- Like other Canadians, Quebeckers face several risks to health from climate change. Historically, they have adapted well to very cold temperatures but have not been as successful in adapting to extreme heat. As average temperatures continue to increase, the number of heat-related deaths in Quebec will also increase, without further adaptations.
- Northerners are already reporting environmental changes and corresponding risks to health and well-being associated with a changing climate, and are taking many actions to adapt. Key vulnerabilities exist where individuals or communities in the North are already highly exposed to health risks, and where exposure is likely to increase with changing climatic conditions.
- Overall, Canadians enjoy very good health status and a high level of health and social services, providing a strong foundation for coping with the diverse stresses that climate change will place on health and well-being. However, the combined effects of projected health, demographic and climate trends in Canada, as well as changes related to social conditions and infrastructure, could increase the vulnerability of Canadians to future climate-related health risks in the absence of effective adaptations.
- Concerns exist about the effectiveness of current adaptations to health risks from climate variability. Existing gaps in public health and emergency management activities that are not addressed have the potential to significantly affect the ability of Canadians to effectively plan for and respond to climate change in Canada.
- Adaptation can reduce health risks posed by climate change by providing citizens with the knowledge, tools and confidence needed to take protective actions. Measures to protect health should be tailored to meet the needs of the most vulnerable Canadians—seniors, children and infants, the socially disadvantaged, and the chronically ill.
- Barriers to adaptation exist in Canada and include an incomplete knowledge of health risks, uneven access to protective measures, limited awareness of best adaptation practices to protect health, and constraints on the ability of decision makers to strengthen existing health protection programs or implement new ones.
- Adaptive capacity is not evenly distributed among communities in Canada. Small communities often have less capacity to plan for or cope with the effects of extreme events or health emergencies.
- The health sector needs to maintain current efforts to protect health from climate-related risks, and incorporate climate change information and engage other sectors in their plans for future programs.
- Regional and community-level assessments of health vulnerabilities are needed to support adaptation through preventative risk reduction.
- Multi-disciplinary research and collaborations across all levels of government can build the knowledge base on vulnerabilities to climate change to address existing adaptation gaps.
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Health Canada News Release
July 31, 2008
OTTAWA - The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, today announced the release of Human Health in a Changing Climate: A Canadian Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptive Capacity.
"Our government takes the issue of climate change very seriously," said Minister Clement. "We are already taking real action to combat climate change with our Turning the Corner Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Since coming into office, this Government has invested over $9 billion to protect and preserve Canada's environment. This includes $85.9 million for climate change adaptation programs, such as pilot projects to develop heat alert and response systems, and infectious disease response systems, and to develop health adaptation programs with Northerners.
These adaptation measures complement the Government's Turning the Corner Action Plan, an aggressive plan to combat climate change and reduce air pollution. This plan sets an ambitious goal of reducing Canada's greenhouse gases from 2006 levels in absolute terms by 20 percent by 2020, and an additional 60-70 percent by 2050.
To reach this goal, the Government of Canada announced tough, mandatory regulations for big industry to reduce their emissions last March. These regulations will be the most important driver of change for moving Canada to a low emission economy.
For more information on the Government's actions on climate change, please visit the Health Canada Web site.
To order a copy of the full report Human Health in a Changing Climate: A Canadian Assessment of Vulnerabilities and Adaptive Capacity, please visit Health Canada's Publications; email ccadaptation@hc-sc.gc.ca;. or call toll-free 1-866-225-0709 or (613) 957-2991.
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Media Enquiries:
Laryssa Waler
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Health Canada Media Relations
613-957-2983