Knowledge, Research Results and Partnerships

This content was archived on June 24, 2013.

Building Knowledge to Address Climate Change and Health Impacts

Knowledge is growing about how a changing climate can affect the environment and the health and well-being of people everywhere.

On this page:

• Building Knowledge in Canada
• Building Knowledge on an International Scale
• Sharing Climate Change and Health Knowledge and Research Results
• Climate Change and Health Partners

Building Knowledge in Canada

Canada is building knowledge about how climate change affects health and what can be done to prepare for and minimize the impacts. This is being accomplished in collaboration with health and emergency response professionals, social agencies, stakeholders and researchers.

Events have shown that extreme heat events, or heat waves, are posing a serious public health risk as a result of a changing climate. However, when precautionary actions are taken the impacts to health can be minimized.

Health Canada is developing heat resilient communities and individuals in Canada by piloting heat alert and response systems in four Canadian communities, and developing health care worker guidelines for extreme heat events.

As well, the  Public Health Agency of Canada addresses new and emerging environmental health threats by increasing knowledge through research and surveillance activities in order to protect Canadians from health impacts attributed to, or exacerbated by, climate change (eg. Infectious disease risks, food contamination).

 Environment Canada is building information about the greenhouse gases that are affecting our climate, our environment, and our health.

The Office of Energy Efficiency at Natural Resources Canada motivates Canadians to  reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Building Knowledge on an International Scale

Since climate change and variability challenges all countries, and affects the health of people around the world, the Government of Canada collaborates with international partners to advance understanding of these issues, such as

•   Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
•   World Health Organization
•   The Inter-American Institute
•   Centres for Disease Control
•   Pan American Health Organization
•   Arctic Council

Sharing Climate Change and Health Knowledge and Research Results

Health Canada shares information through outreach activities, electronic communication, and by providing products and publication materials.

• Reports and Publications
  
  
• E-Publications - Extreme Heat and Your Health
  
  
• Webinars - A Community Sharing Network As part of its Heat Resiliency Project Health Canada is hosting a series of webinars to exchange and learn about current research results and tools for managing health risks from extreme heat events and to enhance community capacity. Following is a list of past webinars:
  
  
  • (March 2009) Managing Extreme Heat Events
    • Guest Speaker: Tom Kosatsky, MD, MPH, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control
    
    
  • (June 2009) Heat Alert and Response Systems - Protecting the Health of Vulnerable Populations
    • Guest Speaker: Shakoor Hajat, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    
    
  • (October 2009) Assessing Vulnerabilities to Extreme Heat Events
    • Guest Speaker: Dr. Paul English, PhD, MPH, Environmental Health Investigations Branch, California Department of Public Health (CDPH)

  For more details, or to join in the next webinar, contact Climatinfo@hc-sc.gc.ca

• Conferences and Workshops Reports where knowledge and research gaps are identified.

Climate Change and Health Partners

•  ArcticNet
•  Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA)
•  Clean Air Partnership
•  Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program (CCIAP) Natural Resources Canada
•  Environment Canada
•  The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
•  Public Health Agency of Canada