Editorial Fellowship: Climate Change and Human Health

Code Red for Canada: First comprehensive study on the effects of climate change on human health has three key recommendations

From record breaking heat temperatures gripping parts of the world in India and Pakistan and wildfires that ravage the West Coast to impacts on water and food security, climate change will continue to test the survivability of humanity.

Grassroots group Stop the Spray raises public awareness to stop BC’s toxic forestry policy

Climate change is increasing the rate and intensity of wildfires in B.C., but so are poor forestry practices. A forestry policy that mandates herbicide spraying poses wildfire risks and impacts public health.

Why healing is at the centre of Indigenous Climate Action’s work

At the roots of the climate crisis are systems of oppression, which perpetuate harm mentally, physically and emotionally. Rest is just as important a response to the climate crisis as organizing — the two go hand in hand. Healing justice could be a way to sustain the climate movement.

The massive climate change issue you've probably never heard about — and how these activists are working to fix it

Soil is a vital player in a trifecta for human health: carbon capture, food and water security. 95 percent of our food comes from rapidly diminishing top soil. Experts warn that if the world’s soils are not revitalised, they could release 850 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to climate change - which is more than all of humanity’s emissions in the last 30 years combined.

Rates of violence spike during heat waves. Are community services prepared for a hotter world?

Extreme heat is a major cause of climate-related illnesses and deaths, but its link to gender-based violence is largely overlooked. With climate change creating more heat waves, more assaults could happen in the coming years.

CARE International is addressing climate-caused starvation, flood-borne illness, and gender-based violence. Here are the concerns they’re bringing to COP27

Global North nations, including Canada, are hundreds of billions of dollars short on the necessary climate funding commitments needed to help Global South countries weather climate-related healthcare issues.

Dr. Theresa Tam says climate change is the single biggest threat to human health on the planet. Here’s what social purpose organizations can do right now

Canada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. Those changes will bring with them a host of profound healthcare challenges, from brutal heat waves to more frequent disease outbreaks - and social purpose organizations play a critical role in Canada’s healthcare system.

Should rich countries pay for climate-related health crises in Global South countries? Humanitarian organizations say yes – but it’s complicated

Canada promises to be a leader in addressing the climate crisis, yet its emissions are contributing to health-related climate disasters in the Global South.

Canada's National Adaptation Strategy is the first plan of its kind to prepare communities for climate disaster. Here are its blind spots.

The NAS doesn’t give enough detail to act as a comprehensive blueprint on adapting Canada to climate change, yet many communities are already facing extreme weather. Social purpose organizations may have to fill in the blanks.

Governments aren’t taking responsibility for climate change’s human health catastrophe. These changemakers are forcing them.

Governments are reluctant to commit billions of dollars for bold, urgent climate adaptation efforts unless forced by courts or activism. This process isn’t easy, but there are strategies to pressure powerful institutions to address human health.

The Red Cross assessed the world’s preparations for the next pandemic. Canada isn’t ready.

Out of a 100-point score used to assess a country’s preparedness for the next pandemic, Canada scored 69 – a score that’s barely changed since 2019. Boosting this score and preparing for the next global pandemic will require significant planning well in advance.

Foundations provide funding to address a hospital’s biggest long-term needs. Why aren’t they preparing for climate change?

Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat to the health of Canadians, according to Canada’s chief public health officer – and hospital foundations are a significant source of equipment and capital spending for major hospitals.

People with schizophrenia will be vastly overrepresented in this summer’s heatwave deaths. Changemakers can prevent that.

Social purpose organizations form the backbone of frontline mental health care in Canada, and extreme heat waves are threatening some of the most vulnerable clients they serve. Without drastic action, death tolls among people with severe mental health issues will only rise in future.