Health professionals urged to share information on climate disaster mitigation

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HALIFAX – After last summer’s unprecedented heat waves, deadly floods and wildfires, some scientists are urging Canadian health professionals to help their patients better prepare for natural disasters and extreme weather related to climate change.

Blair Feltmate, director of the Intact Center on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, said at a national public health conference in Halifax on Wednesday that there are inexpensive and effective ways to reduce the damage caused by climate-related disasters, some of which which are as simple as cleaning. clean gutters, non-return valves, storm drains or install blinds on windows.

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“We have known, implementable and cost-effective solutions to mitigate some of the risks that are occurring in this country due to flooding, wildfires and extreme heat in particular,” Feltmate told an audience of about 750 people on Wednesday.

“And we’re not implementing those solutions quickly enough.”

Feltmate said health centers should print and share with patients the detailed infographics his center has prepared that lay out a variety of things people can do ahead of extreme heat, wildfires and flooding. The center has synthesized her research into a variety of one-page illustrated resources, each with a specific focus.

They include one to protect your home from flooding, another to manage extreme heat in an apartment or condo, and a protection guide for people living in wildfire risk areas.

Many of the improvements listed cost little or nothing, such as removing mulch and plants right next to your house if you live in a wildfire-risk area, checking pipes for leaks, and using heat-resistant curtains and fans for cooling. his house. during a heat wave. More expensive recommendations include installing a sump pump, adding noncombustible screens to outside vents, and replacing wood fencing near the house with wire or metal fencing.

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Feltmate said in an interview Wednesday that the fire safety precautions his center has identified can reduce the chance that a home will be destroyed by 50 to 75 percent if a wildfire moves through the region.

Wednesday’s conference session was led by Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, who told the assembled health professionals that climate change should be at the forefront because it will affect all aspects of health. public.

“Public health audiences can appreciate the profound effects of climate change on a wide range of impacts on physical and mental health and, indeed, on the health and well-being of our communities,” he told the conference.

Those effects, he said, include “infectious diseases…waterborne diseases, respiratory and cardiovascular problems, heat stroke, dehydration and mental health impacts that are affecting all populations.”

Feltmate said it’s crucial to share tips that can help protect people and their homes from climate-related disasters because “climate change is here to stay.”

“It’s irreversible, and I don’t want to say that we shouldn’t do everything we can to slow the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, we should do everything we can to slow things down,” he said.

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“But we are not going to reverse climate change. It will get worse in the future, which means we have to step up and address it,” he added.

Persistent drought and months of above-average temperatures have raised the risk of a repeat of last year’s unprecedented bushfires, prompting federal ministers to warn on April 10 of the need to tackle climate change. .

The 2023 fire season was the worst on record in Canada, burning more than 15 million hectares and forcing more than 230,000 people from their homes. It also created unprecedented smoke conditions across much of the country and the United States.

A federal briefing document forecasting spring fire risk shows conditions are already in place this year for early and above-normal fire risk from Quebec to British Columbia in both April and May. The forecast is based on Canada having a warmer than normal winter with minimal snow and widespread drought, particularly in the Prairies. There is also a high chance of above-normal temperatures in April, May and June.

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