2024-03-24 21:27:19
Bodies are just as affected by climate change as sea ice and forests, says University of Alberta scientist Sherilee Harper.
Climate change impacts everything we worry about, she says.
It’s not just an environmental issue.
Sherilee Harper, scientist, University of Alberta
Sherilee Harper and around thirty of her colleagues, specialists in different disciplines ranging from economics to epidemiology, have come together to ensure that climate change is better perceived as a threat to human health.
This university center aims to help the population understand that every decision on the subject of climate change is a decision linked to health, underlines the woman who is also one of the vice-presidents of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, one of the world leaders on the issue.
Every climate change research project has health implications, she adds. She cites the example of cycle paths.
For municipal officials, cycle paths help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, but they can also improve the health of citizens.
Research shows that when a problem is associated with a public health issue, it leads to more action than when it is linked to an environmental or economic issue.
Canada is warming twice as fast as the global average. And plenty of research has already shown that rising temperatures increase health problems.
In 2022, the Public Health Agency of Canada wrote in a report that climate change was the greatest threat to health in Canada and around the world.
Due to forest fires, air quality in Canada was among the worst in the world last summer. Respiratory problems, especially in children, and diseases like Lyme spread more quickly as parasites proliferate in their new habitat. Diarrhea is also more common, because the water, as it warms, welcomes more bacteria.
Climate change also has impacts on mental health, such as acute stress disorder. The effects on physical health and mental health often combine.
Threats to public health also exist on a global scale. The World Health Organization predicts that from 2030 to 2050, climate change will be responsible for 250,000 additional deaths per year due to malnutrition, malaria, and even diarrhea.
The University of Alberta will officially announce the creation of the Climate Change and Health Hub on Tuesday.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, is expected to attend. The hub will primarily be a network of researchers, students and First Nations knowledge keepers who believe that interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary.
Such hubs already exist in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, mentions Sherilee Harper.
The center also intends to assert its presence in public debate.
We think it’s really important to have a center that, during this period of disinformation, can mobilize knowledgeable resources. Evidence must be provided so that politicians make decisions based on evidence.
An article by Rob Weber from the Canadian Press
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