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Your Health and a Changing Climate: Newsletter - Volume 3

Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment 2007 -- Reporting the Health Impacts from Climate Change

When the Government of Canada signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 it agreed to regularly assess the impacts of climate change in Canada and options for adapting to them. Natural Resources Canada has the lead on conducting Canada's next National Assessment which is to be completed by 2007 and which will be released at the same time as the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This national assessment will review new climate change impacts and adaptation literature from a regional perspective. The Climate Change and Health Division (CCHD) at Health Canada is conducting a National Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment which will complement the regional assessment of climate change impacts and adaptations being undertaken by Natural Resources Canada.

The Health Vulnerability Assessment, being undertaken by CCHD, was launched in 2003 and is following guidelines outlined in the World Health Organization's publication "Methods of assessing human health vulnerability and public health adaptation to climate change" developed by the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Environment Program and Health Canada. This publication is in response to a recommendation made at the World Health Organization's Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in 1999, that countries develop the necessary capacity to undertake national health assessments of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

The National Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment will allow leading experts across Canada to contribute to a better understanding of how vulnerable Canadian communities are to climate change and to gauge the capacity of Canadians, their communities, and their institutions to adapt to risks associated with climate change and climate variability. The Health Vulnerability Assessment is guided by a national steering committee and will consist of a literature review of recent climate change and health research as well as undertaking new research on air quality, natural hazards, and adaptive capacity issues (see Ongoing Research section). An in-depth regional assessment of the health impacts of climate change and the capacity to adapt will be undertaken in the province of Quebec. By clarifying the health risks of a changing climate, the populations most vulnerable to these risks, and the capacity of Canadians to adapt, research can inform adaptation planning and policy development in the public health and related sectors. The Health Vulnerability Assessment is scheduled for release in spring 2007.

>>> For more information, contact Peter Berry at peter_berry@hc-sc.gc.ca

Montreal to Host International Conference on Climate Change

On February 16, 2005, the day that the Kyoto Protocol came into force, the Prime Minister announced that Canada would host the next international climate change conference from November 28 - December 9, 2005 in Montreal. This conference will be the I Ith annual session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the UNFCCC, and will also be the first Meeting of the Parties (MOP 1) to the Convention's Kyoto Protocol.

The Montreal Conference on Climate will be a significant event, and will mark the beginning of discussion among countries to determine the longer term global approach to climate change after 2012. The Conference will bring together over 10 000 delegates and 100 Ministers from the Convention's 189 Parties, as well as representatives from non-govemmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations and the world's media. Within the conference facilities, throughout the 12 day conference, there will be a series of United Nations accredited "side events," as well as various "parallel events" designed to support Canada's policy objectives and to showcase Canadian actions and capabilities. Importantly, the conference will provide an excellent opportunity to raise the profile of climate change and its related health issues, both within and outside of Canada, by highlighting important research activities and policy developments.

For more information, Visit  www.unfccc.int