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?

The Climate Change and Health Office of the Safe Environments Programme, Healthy Environments and Consumers Safety Branch at Health Canada is pleased to present the results of the first Annual National Health and Climate Change Science and Policy Research Consensus Conference held March 13 - 15, 2001 at the Governement Conference Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

Background

Much is already being done 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, it is now recognized that these mitigation efforts will not totally eliminate the risk of climate change. Our country will have to cope with and adapt to the many climate-related environmental changes which have already begun, and which will affect the future health and well-being of Canadians. People therefore need to know how climate change and variability can affect their health, what population groups are vulnerable, and how these new health risks can best be managed.

The Challenge

Climate Change affects all ecosystems and social structures. To identify and manage its adverse effects will therefore require comprehensive risk management concepts and practices beyond the traditional "single issue" approach. Health and social science research must add climate change as a new variable as well as explore new integrative methods.

Health Canada, as the federal agency responsible for safeguarding and promoting the physical, mental, and social health of Canadians, is leading a national effort to produce interdisciplinary knowledge and evidence upon which all levels of government and health stakeholders can collaboratively build effective Canadian public health policies which will help our country to successfully adapt to climate change. The challenge is to produce a Research Agenda that shows the priority research questions, method development, and capacity gaps.

The Conference

Eight significant climate change-induced health effects which are expected to increase in the future in this country have been identified. To address these issues, 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. The proceedings and the research agenda arising from this Conference follow.