Raging wildfires, extreme heat and catastrophic storms.
These are just some of the impacts of climate change making headlines in Canada – and posing increasing risks to both our health and the health system we rely on. Worse: Canada is warming at more than twice the global rate, and vulnerable populations, including Indigenous communities, are disproportionately affected.
Here’s an overview of the challenges Canada faces and how the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is driving action.
Video Transcript
Climate change is a growing health threat.
Canada isn’t ready.
2023 was the worst wildfire season in Canada’s history.
Every province and territory was affected.
It’s just one of the many climate shocks already affecting health and health workers.
And Canada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet.
Current health threats may intensify.
Extreme heat can damage the brain, the central nervous system and other organs.
Climate-related anxiety and depression are increasing.
New threats may emerge.
The health workforce is already in crisis across the country.
About half of Canada’s health care facilities are more than 50 years old, – ill-equipped to operate through climate emergencies.
Our health system is part of the problem, accounting for more greenhouse gas emissions than aviation and shipping.
In fact, Canada is one of the worst health care polluters per capita. The system’s carbon footprint is equivalent to 500 coal-fired power plants.
We can do better.
The Canadian Medical Association is calling on the federal government to establish a Climate and Health Secretariat.
It would facilitate a pan-Canadian approach to the health impacts of climate change
and work towards a climate-resilient and low-carbon health system.
One large-scale inspiration is England’s National Health Service.
It has cut emissions equivalent to powering more than one million homes.
A hospital in Birmingham performed the first net-zero surgery in 2022.
Canada must also adapt its health care system to the new reality we live in
and mitigate climate change for a healthier future.
Our health system can be good for the planet and for patients.
Sign up for more information at cma.ca/climate
Climate change and health
Climate change can have both short-term and permanent effects on an individual’s health.
Research suggests people who have experienced flooding are 5x more likely to experience anxiety or depression.
Climate and the health care system
When more people get sick, more people end up in the health care system – adding pressure on an already overloaded workforce. But the system is at risk during climate disasters too, including everything from medical supplies, food, water and fuel to access to health facilities and providers.
Death and loss of quality of life due to ozone exposure are estimated to cost the Canadian health care system $246 billion per year by the end of the century.
Read the CMA’s recommendations for a more climate-resilient health system
A net-zero system
When it comes to climate change, Canada’s health system is part of the problem, generating even more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than aviation and shipping.
Canada's health-care system is responsible for 4.6% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions — making it one of the worst health care polluters per capita in the world.
Learn more about how health professionals and institutions can reduce emissions from the sector
CMA calls for action
- Expand federal response to climate change beyond Health Canada to include Environment Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Infrastructure Canada and Public Safety Canada.
- Secure new funding for sustainable health infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
- Elevate Indigenous land-based approaches to addressing the climate crisis.
- Pass Bill C-61, an act to ensure clean, safe water on First Nations land, managed by Indigenous Peoples.
- Develop a public mechanism to track progress on recommendations for health system resiliency outlined in Canada’s first National Adaptation Strategy, including:
- Modernizing aging infrastructure that can leave facilities vulnerable amid climate disasters
- Building specialized environmental and resilience standards for health facilities
- Improving energy efficiency and direct savings to capital investment or patient care
- Creating emergency preparedness plans for weather-related disasters
See the latest report on Canada from the Lancet’s Countdown on climate and health