The defining health issue of our century: it’s not what you might expect

Over the coming weeks, the Energy and Environmental Sustainability (EES) team of the Lower Mainland Health Organizations (LMHOs) will share a series of stories about the link between climate change and health, local responses within the LMHOs and the health sector’s role in creating low-carbon, resilient communities.

It’s been called the defining health issue of the 21st century, and none of us are immune. When Dr. Margaret Chan, former director-general of the World Health Organization, sounded this alarm in 2007, she wasn’t talking about cancer or HIV or obesity. She was talking about the present-day and projected impacts of climate change.

The link between the health of our planet and of humans

In outlining the connections between increased global temperatures and phenomena such as changing disease paths, decreased food security, worsened respiratory illnesses, and much more, Dr. Chan pointed to the inseparable links between the health of our planet and the health of humans. According to Dr. Chan, we cannot have one without the other. This makes the United Nations climate talks, such as those happening in Bonn Germany this month, not just an environmental agreement, but a health treaty as well.

The health sector plays an important role in helping to build low-carbon and resilient communities. Over the coming weeks, the Energy and Environmental Sustainability (EES) team of the Lower Mainland Health Organizations (LMHOs) will share stories about the link between climate change and health, local responses within the LMHOs and the health sector’s role in building low-carbon, resilient communities.

Interested in more information?

For more information about the Canadian context, Dr. Courtney Howard’s interview with the CBC outlines the country-specific briefing she prepared for the Lancet’s recent Climate Change Countdown report.