Algoma Public Health
Climate Change
"...the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century"
- World Health Organization (WHO)
Algoma Public Health is committed to climate change mitigation and adaptation because of the catastrophic impact it has and will have on the health and well-being of our communities now and in the future, especially for those most vulnerable (e.g. older adults, those with preexisting health conditions, young children, etc.).
Climate change impacts in northern Ontario are expected to be felt differently than in southern areas of the province, due to a vast and variable geography across the region. Within each of the northern Ontario health units, each area will need to understand and respond to climate change based on local factors unique to their diverse communities
The impacts of climate change include, but are not limited to:
- Increased illness, injury and death related to extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods.
- Increased cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and death related to air pollution.
- Increased water-related illnesses from contaminated water sources.
- Decreased mental health and well-being, as related to [TEXT]
- Decreased quality, accessibility and affordability of food due to disruptions in Western and Indigenous food systems.
- Increased mosquito- and tick-borne diseases, as well as other new and re-emerging infectious diseases related to a changing climate.
FAQS
Resources
- “Climate Change and Health in Northern Ontario” report by the Northern Ontario Climate Change and Health collaborative.
- 2021 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change for a global perspective on the health effects of climate change.
- Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s “Healthy Environments and Climate Change Guideline, 2018”, which forms part of the Ontario Public Health Standards and guides the work of Algoma Public Health.
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge through the Up North on Climate project.
- Climate Risk Institute’s survey of Climate Action in Ontario's Northern Municipalities (2021).