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

Climate Change and Health Knowledge Development

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 the regional and local levels.

In March 2001, Health Canada hosted, in partnership with the Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network (C-CIARN) of Natural Resources Canada, the First Annual National Health and Climate Change Science and Policy Research Consensus Conference involving a wide spectrum of national and international researchers and policy analysts. By identifying current gaps in knowledge, the conference produced a climate change and health research agenda to guide future scientific efforts.⁹ An important component of this research agenda concerns identifying the effects of climate change on vulnerable groups such as residents of Canada's North.

Group vulnerabilities in local communities

Aboriginal Populations

Aboriginal people form the majority of residents living in Canada's North which is expected to be a region that experiences relatively greater climatic changes over time. Many communities in the North may be highly vulnerable to the effects on human health & well-being from environmental disruptions such as a loss of wildlife and other resources. Hunters and trappers and other peoples living off the land may be especially vulnerable in this regard. The needed financial, technological, institutional and knowledge-based resources for rapid adaptation is quite limited for some of these communities. Such vulnerabilities are also shared by Aboriginal populations living in other locations in Canada.

Elderly

The elderly constitute one of the sub-populations that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The proportion of elderly residents in Canada, including the North, is expected to rise in the coming decades. Aging is often accompanied by chronic illnesses that may increase susceptibility to infectious diseases or to extreme environmental conditions (e.g., weather events, smog, water contamination). Poverty, which increases with age among the elderly, may add to this group's risk from severe weather.

Children

Children are one of the sub-populations that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change (e.g., increased temperature and smog, water contamination, infectious diseases, etc). The factors that may affect children's special vulnerability to possible future climate change include poverty, housing conditions, education, access to medical care, and children's susceptibility to environmental hazards because of their size, behavior and the fact that they are growing and developing. In many northern communities young people represent one of the fastest growing age groups.

Low- Income Individuals

Poverty is a risk factor for illnesses and deaths related to climate change because low-income individuals are more likely to live in areas with poor housing, have a lower capacity to cope with difficult conditions, have less money to buy adequate food, have a greater reliance on local food sources and may have less access to health care. Some communities in Canada's North are lower income and lack adequate access to healthcare services to respond to the effects of climate change.

Individuals who are ill

People with existing health conditions such as cancer, AIDS, obesity, and diabetes may be more susceptible to water-borne and vector-borne diseases and to physical stresses, such as those experienced during cold spells, floods, or severe storms. Adequate protection from those stresses is important and depends upon access to sanitation, adequate housing conditions, safe drinking water and proper health care services.

Key research needs related to the issue of vulnerable populations includes development of a comprehensive approach to identify and address climate change impacts and adaptation problems facing vulnerable populations. In addition, standardized data collection is needed so that a baseline can be established to determine the relationship between weather and health and who is vulnerable in various regions such as the North. Specific priority research questions also exist including: What will vulnerable communities in areas such as the North look like in twenty to thirty years? How will future environmental changes affect the social and economic disparities that exist today? What health indicators do we need to explore the relationships between climate change and health & well-being? Who is best qualified to assess the impacts of environmental change on population health and well-being?

Knowledge development priorities identified in the climate change and health research agenda will be made available to various research funding agencies in Canada in future rounds of calls for proposals. The products of this research are available to public health decision makers in Canada, including participants of the Public Health Planning Workshop on Climate Change and Health & Well-being in the North (July 6-7, 2002) in their collaborative efforts to address the risks to human health & well-being from climate change.

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⁹ "First Annual National Health and Climate Change Science and Policy Research Consensus Conference: How Will Climate Change Affect Priorities for Your Health Science and Policy Research? - Summary Document", Health Canada, Ottawa, March 13-15, 2001. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/consensus-conference-concertation/index_e.html