{"id":14147,"date":"2021-04-30T14:49:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T14:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nccdh-dev.media-doc.ca\/climate-change-resilience-part-1-2\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T18:12:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T18:12:18","slug":"climate-change-resilience-part-1-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccdh-dev.media-doc.ca\/fr\/climate-change-resilience-part-1-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change resilience part 1: COVID-19 underscores the need to address inequity and transform systems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click here to download this practice brief<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This practice brief argues that our collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for urgent and revised public health action to address climate change. The author shares equity-informed approaches for addressing climate change and building just, sustainable and resilient communities. Examples of concrete action are further explored in Climate change resilience part 2: Public health roles and actions<\/em>. [1<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Please send any questions, comments and stories from the field to NCCDH@stfx.ca<\/a>. For other NCCDH resources on climate change and health equity, please visit the NCCDH resource library<\/a>.
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Introduction
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It would take an act of extreme cognitive dissonance to view the COVID-19 crisis as totally independent of the looming climate crisis, as well as the broader crisis of decades of economic globalization and ecological change, that surround it. <\/em>[2<\/a>(p1)]   <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Climate change is a health emergency that continues to widen existing health inequities. [2<\/a>,3<\/a>,4<\/a>,5<\/a>,6<\/a>,7<\/a>,8<\/a>,9<\/a>,10<\/a>]  <\/p>\n

Scientists warn that without massive global intervention w­ithin the next decade, the earth will continue to warm beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius. [11<\/a>] Passing this threshold will be disastrous for both human and planetary health. This is because impacts such as extreme heat, rising sea levels, species loss and disruptions to the global food supply are projected to be significantly worse at higher levels of warming. [9<\/a>,11<\/a>,12<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Yet, because public health actors are constantly reacting to the “firehose” of challenges that comprise their everyday work — including responding to the COVID-19 pandemic — they are not able to devote sufficient attention to a global crisis that is unfolding at a slower rate.<\/p>\n

This practice brief:<\/p>\n

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  1. recognizes climate change as a health emergency with significant health equity impacts;<\/li>\n
  2. argues that our collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic serves to galvanize multiple systems, including public health, to address climate change and social inequity with increased urgency and effort; and<\/li>\n
  3. identifies resources and recommendations for addressing inequities, transforming systems and building climate resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Related resources <\/em><\/p>\n