Climate Change

Harms from fossil fuel expansion are absent from this election campaign. Why we need to worry

Calls for rapid scaling of fossil fuel projects not only ignore the impacts of these industries on atmospheric warming but fail to consider their direct effects on human health.

Health professionals issue urgent call for climate action and for their pension plan to step up

The RNAO is calling on the $112 billion Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan to stop investing nurses’ retirement savings in companies that are making the climate crisis worse.

Fossil fuels make us sick: Let’s ban ads that greenwash the issue

The passage of Bill C-372 is not merely a matter of legislative reform; it is a moral imperative in the face of escalating climate catastrophe. We must dismantle fossil fuel green washing and disinformation.

Research on the health harms of fracking questions expansion of this industry

With two more natural gas facilities scheduled to come on line in the next two years in B.C., it's time we consider the harms that fracking poses to public health.

Climate justice for medical learners: Breaking down silos in Planetary Health

Canadian medical schools have made significant strides in recent years toward incorporating principles of Planetary Health into their curricula. However, more work must be done to enrich future physicians’ understanding of climate justice as a medical, social and moral imperative.

‘It’s time to do something’: Climate change endangering remote First Nations communities

The Anisininew leaders have urged governments to support the region by injecting financial and emergency resources, and directly empowering them to rebuild and maintain vital winter road infrastructure.

Public health and urban planning go hand in hand. Why aren’t we doing more to promote cycling?

As a society, we need to examine our own blind spots and biases when it comes to all road users to create human-scale urban environments that nudge us toward healthier, safer, equitable and financially savvy transport.

Beyond adaptation and resilience: A call for health-care transformation

A key challenge we face is to envision a health-care system that is compatible with a future society that is in turn compatible with the Earth’s limited biocapacity and resources. That would be a resilient health-care system.

Strengthening Canada’s focus on mitigation: Reflections on the COP28 and climate and health

The health sector is an economic giant. Thus, it must play a significant role in strengthening Canada’s focus on climate change mitigation, including reducing its own contributions to climate change.

Health sector leadership on climate and health: Reflections on COP28 and climate and health

The Declaration on Climate and Health issued at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in December failed an important test. But while political leadership is lacking, health sector leadership is building.

Reflections on the COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health. Where it fails

For the first time in 30 years, the UN's annual COP28 Climate Conference had a day devoted to health. But world ministers, including Canada's, could not bring themselves to take a bold stance.

Will we let the fires of 2023 keep burning?

In our safe country, we “react” to disasters like the forest fires or flooding with exorbitant efforts and resources after the crises. But we also lose track of key commitments to civil society and human progress.

As individuals, we can take steps to reduce the risk for the next pandemic

We don’t just have to be anxious or fearful about the next pandemic. We can push governments for systemic changes. But we can also take small, concrete steps as individuals to make a difference.

Climate change contributing to harmful substance use

Weather-related disasters spurred on by climate change cause not only environmental devastation, but wreak havoc on our mental health and well being. This leads to higher rates of substance misuse.

Our health-care system is a major contributor to climate change. That must stop

The urgency of the climate crisis is only ramping up and our health-care system not only experiences the consequences of climate change but is also a major contributor to the crisis. It's our responsibility to act and make our health-care system a more sustainable one.

Woefully inadequate: Dearth of funding for biomedical health research reflects our environmental racism

Biomedical research policy needs to begin addressing environmental racism and justice and expand funded research for climate change, environmental and planetary health.

Even a child can see collaboration is essential to save the Canadian health-care system

Everything is related; solutions must once again be aligned, locally scaled and human centred. We need a more stable, unified approach in health care. We need more transformative models moving forward. Above all, we need primary care and public health to join forces to prepare us for the next big challenge – climate change.

Fossil fuels are the new tobacco. The health sector must take action

The health sector should treat the fossil-fuel industry as it has treated the tobacco industry – by revealing its health impacts, divesting, severing all financial and commercial links as soon as possible, and urging others to do the same.

A plea from a family medicine resident: We must recognize the changing nature of primary care to prevent an exodus of doctors

The pandemic and climate crisis have put extra strain on the already evolving primary care system and worsened the B.C. family-doctor shortage. But the current structure of family medicine has not adapted.

Taking action

Our health-care system is very energy intensive and produces large volumes of solid waste and toxic waste. But this is, in fact, counter to our ethical duty to do no harm, which must include not harming the environment and the health of people and communities.