Canadians are seeing extreme weather events that will have negative effects on their health and well-being, especially for seniors.
From floods and fires to unending heat waves, Canadians are increasingly concerned about extreme weather events that have gripped the country.
Polls show that 70 per cent of Canadians believe climate change threatens the country’s future, and there is broad support for government policies that reduce carbon emissions.
Scientists and activists have, for several decades, sounded the alarm and urged global leaders to take immediate action to save the planet from devastating events and environmental disintegration. The average annual temperature has increased nationally by 1.7 C from 1948 to 2016, which represents double what the rest of the world is experiencing. Canada’s northern regions have seen increases of 2.3 C, which is three times higher than the global average.
Emissions from fossil fuels and greenhouse gases are big culprits. Greenhouse gases absorb and radiate heat over time. While the planet’s natural processes had been able to balance naturally occurring greenhouse gases and kept us from year-round freezing temperatures, human activity is throwing those natural processes out of balance. Since 1850, we’ve been putting more greenhouses gases into the atmosphere than the Earth can handle, with predictable consequences.
Carbon emissions increased by 21.4 per cent between 1990 and 2019. While Canada experienced an emissions reduction of eight per cent in 2020, and early indicators show it might exceed its 2030 Paris Agreement target, there’s a ways to go to reach net-zero by 2050.
Experts have issued dire warnings for human health if the degradation of the environment continues. It’s a matter of human survival. The World Health Organization estimates climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths each year between 2030 and 2050.
But why?
Some impacts are obvious. Extreme heat waves and freezing temperatures will lead to more respiratory and cardiovascular illness, more occupational health risks and more hospitalizations and deaths. Air-quality impacts and increased exposure to air pollutants and allergens will impact cardiovascular and respiratory health. More exposure to ultraviolet rays could lead to more cases of cancer as well as disrupted immune system function.
Climate change impacts the incidence and severity of natural disasters such as floods, fires and extreme storms. Rising temperatures increase water evaporation, leading to dry conditions and wildfires, and, in other areas, increased air moisture leads to wilder storms and hurricanes. In worst cases, these events damage infrastructure and lead to property loss, injuries, deaths, and the subsequent mental and emotional toll of such losses.
Vector-borne illnesses — typically spread by insects — are evolving. West Nile virus and Lyme disease prevalence seem to be shifting with temperature and precipitation changes, and populations of the vectors themselves are growing, perhaps due to warming temperatures. As regions warm, vectors Canadians have never seen may appear, along with the viruses they carry and the illnesses they can cause — from anaplasmosis to zika.
Older adults can be more sensitive to air quality, temperature and humidity, and are more likely to have health conditions that can be aggravated by environmental factors (though some literature reviews, including one by the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal, note that older adults may have better resilience to climate events.) And while we’re all in the same storm, we aren’t all in the same craft — climate change impacts people who are vulnerable, including older women and individuals with disabilities.
For Federal Retirees board member Megan Williams, it’s not just about how climate change will impact her.
“It’s clear climate change will have a negative impact on older Canadians,” Williams says. “I am also worried for my grandchildren and what they will face. It’s fair to say that a lot of older people are motivated by their grandchildren’s future and stopping the slide into environmental chaos.”
We want to hear from you
Are you worried about climate change and its health impacts? Let us know. Connect with us on social media or email advocacyteam@federalretirees.ca