Climate Change And Health And Well-Being In Canada's North: Report On A Public Health Planning Workshop On Climate Change And Health And Well-Being In The North - July 6-7, 2002, Yellowknife, NWT

Forward

The Climate Change and Health Office of the Safe Environments Programme, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch at Health Canada is pleased to present the results of the Public Health Planning Workshop on Climate Change and Health & Well-being in the North held July 6-7, 2002 in Yellowknife, NWT.

Background

Climate Change is already affecting Canada, and the country's North will experience greater climatic changes than other regions in Canada. As the northern climate warms, there will be wide-ranging ecosystem impacts, including permafrost melting, changes in wildlife migration patterns, and increases in sustainable fish and game harvests. The health and well-being of northern populations will be affected as northerners try to adapt to the varying climate by changing their traditional and cultural practices, and by attempting to maintain and expand the economic, social, and health infrastructures required for a 21^st century northern society. The complex, large-scale environmental changes which have already begun will require early adaptation measures, including in the public health sector.

The Workshop

To raise the awareness of northern public health communities about climate change and health issues, and to assess needs for adaptation to climate change, Health Canada hosted a Public Health Planning Workshop on Climate Change and Health & Well-being in the North in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on July 6-7, 2002. The participants included Chief Medical Officers of Health and public health practitioners, public health organizations, and Aboriginal health partners. The proceedings of the workshop, including an overview, follow.