Climate Change and Health & Well-Being: A Policy Primer for Canada's North

Executive Summary

Climate Change in Canada's North

Scientists, governments and international bodies have recognized that greenhouse gas accumulations in the atmosphere are changing the global climate, and will affect the environment and human health and well-being. The range of potential health effects from this phenomenon is quite broad. Some communities, such as those in Canada's North, are already observing significant changes in local climates and ecosystems and will be more vulnerable than others to these changes for social/cultural reasons (dependence on the lands), geographic reasons, due to health status or because of limited resources.

Health Canada has identified eight significant direct and indirect climate change induced health issues which are expected to increase in the future in this country (chart below). Northern communities will face many of these health effects as climate change increases. They include health and well-being issues related to increased smog episodes, heat waves, water-and food-borne contamination, vector-borne diseases, stratospheric ozone depletion and extreme weather events. These effects are expected to be particularly severe for vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, the poor, disabled people, immigrant populations, Aboriginal Canadians and populations living in the North. A host of broad socio-economic issues related to climate change are also of considerable concern including changed determinants of health and well-being, vulnerability of community economies and the health and social risks of climate change mitigation actions.

Canada's Health Impacts From Climate Change And Variability

Health Issues	Examples of Health Vulnerabilities
Temperature-related morbidity and mortality	Cold and heat related illnesses Respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses Increased occupational health risks
Health effects of extreme weather events	Damaged public health infrastructure Injuries and illnesses Social and mental health stress due to disasters Occupational health hazards Preparedness and population displacement
Air pollution-related health effects	Changed exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollutants and allergens Asthma and other respiratory diseases Heart attacks strokes and other cardiovascular diseases Cancer
Water- and food-borne contamination	Enteric diseases and contamination
Vector-borne infectious diseases	Changed patterns of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and other pathogens carried by mosquitos, ticks and other vectors
Stratospheric ozone depletion and increased exposure to ultra-violet radiation	Skin damage and skin cancer Cataracts Disturbed immune function
Population vulnerabilities in rural and urban communities	Seniors Children Poor health Low income and homeless Traditional populations Disabled Immigrant populations
Health and Socio- Economic Impacts on Community Health and Well-being	Changed determinants of health and well-being Global burden of disease Vulnerability of community economies Health co-benefits and risks of GHG reduction technologies

Efforts are underway in Canada to better understand the causes and long-term patterns of climate change and climate variability, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the development and use of cleaner technologies. However, the first mitigation efforts will not totally eliminate the risks of climate change. Even if the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol are fully met by all participating countries, the dateat which CO₂ will double in the atmosphere will simply be pushed back, but this will still occur. Canada will have to cope with, and adapt to, the many climate-related environmental changes which have already begun, particularly in the North, and which will affect the future health and well-being of Canadians. Close cooperation and information sharing among public health groups in the North in efforts to adapt to climate change will contribute to the building of strong and healthy communities in this region and will support the growth of the economic, social and health infrastructures required for a 21st century northern society.

Health Canada has organized a Public Health Planning Workshop on Climate Change and Health & Well-being in the North (July 6-7, 2002) involving policy analysts and practitioners from federal health programs, territorial Ministries of Health, Aboriginal groups, community health programs, and health non-governmental organizations in the North. The purpose of this document is to provide participants of the workshop with information on some of the observed changes to local climates and ecosystems occurring in the North and the possible health effects of climate change for people residing in these communities and to begin discussions on potential public health adaptation measures.

Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health

Sound adaptation policies should be based on knowledge of the impacts of climate change, the sensitivity and vulnerability of Canadians to it and existing options for adaptation that are effective in reducing the risks. If northern communities are to develop effective public health policies and strategies that will help people cope with climate change, researchers and policy-makers in this region need to fully assess the likely public health implications of climate change and variability at regional and local levels.

Managing the Risks to Human Health and Well-being from Climate Change in Canada's North

People living in Canada's North need to be ever vigilant in their efforts to build strong and vibrant communities and improve the general health status of all who live in this region. Adaptation to the health effects of climate change and variability involves the management of a number of risks to health and well-being and will need to respond to both positive impacts (e.g., greater shipping access, increased hunting season) and negative impacts (e.g., changes in ice distribution and stability which will have impacts on wildlife and human travel) of this phenomenon.

Both government and non-governmental groups in Canada's North should begin integrating such considerations into public health promotion and protection activities through adaptation initiatives because of the following considerations:

• Climate change cannot be totally avoided.
• Anticipatory and precautionary public health adaptation is more effective and less costly than forced, last-minute, emergency adaptation or retrofitting.
• Climate change may be more rapid and more pronounced than current estimates suggest. More unexpected events that could have serious health and well-being impacts are possible.
• Immediate public health benefits can be gained from better adaptation to climate variability and extreme atmospheric events.
• Climate change brings public health opportunities as well as threats. Future benefits can result from climate change if planning begins now.

Public Health Planning Workshop on Climate Change and Health & Well-being in the North

The Public Health Planning Workshop will be held July 6-7, 2002 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and will involve invited representatives including chief medical officers of health, public health practitioners, key federal partners, public health organizations, and Aboriginal health partners. The meeting will seek to:

• Increase awareness in the health community of the vulnerabilities and potential impacts from climate change on the health of citizens in the North.
• Identify climate change impacts, current vulnerabilities and the need for public health adaptation measures.
• Identify opportunities for collaboration between northern health partners and define Health Canada's role in supporting the collaboration.

Moving Forward

The results of the Public Health Planning Workshop will help the Climate Change and Health Office (CCHO) at Health Canada identify its role in collaboratively assessing and managing the health & well-being issues in Canada's North by providing a new mechanism, or identifying an existing one, for cooperation among a wide range of governmental and non-governmental health partners. It will also do this by linking with the Vulnerable Populations Health Issue Research Network (HIRN) on scientific knowledge development issues for this region.

CCHO will continue to facilitate the development of health and well-being adaptation strategies for the North after the workshop by providing the following services:

• Inventory of climate change and health funding sources.
• Inventory of potential public health adaptation measures and current activities.
• Bibliography of public health adaptation literature.
• Facilitate climate change and health science and policy research activities.
• Facilitate development of public health education and outreach materials by and for the use of community health organizations.
• Facilitate the integration of health and well-being issues into the National Climate Change Process (NCCP).