Series - Editorial Fellowship: Climate Change and Human Health

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

Author Brennan Doherty
Persistent challenges, especially climate change, will hamper the world’s ability to protect against disease outbreaks, according to the 2022 World Disaster Report.

Why It Matters

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.

This journalism is supported by the Future of Good editorial fellowship on climate change and human health, supported by Manulife. See our editorial ethics and standards here.

The International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), an association that forms the largest collection of humanitarian organizations in the world, is already talking about how to respond to the world’s next major pandemic.

In its 2022 World Disasters Report, the IFRC examines what the actions of countries around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic say about their capabilities to not only handle another global pandemic, but other climate-related disasters like heat waves, wildfires, and hurricanes. In its 247-page report released on Jan. 30, the IFRC did not give the world a pass

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