To: The Hon. Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment
Dear Minister Prentice,
As the future physicians of Canada, we are deeply concerned that climate change will severely and negatively impact the health and wellbeing of our patients and planet. To limit dangerous climate change a global agreement in accordance with what the science demands is needed at the UN climate conference this December in Copenhagen. We ask that Canada recognize its international responsibility and make a commitment to dramatic and absolute reductions of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) as well as invest in adaptation to the changes that are inevitable.
The impacts of climate change are already being felt around the world, threatening the most fundamental determinants of health: air, water, food, shelter, and freedom from disease1. The worst effects will be felt by the world’s poorest and severely compromise achievement of the Millennium Development Goals2. Malnutrition, heat-stress, diarrheal disease, extreme weather events, infectious disease, population displacement, and conflict over depleted resources are all expected to increase as a result of climate change2. The exact numbers are impossible to predict, however the estimates are staggering. Without extensive adaptive measures, up to half of the world’s population could face severe food shortages by 21003. As they absorb CO2 and further acidify, many of the world’s oceans, upon which millions currently rely on as a primary food source, may face ecological collapse4. Climate change has the potential to displace 200 million people by 2050, an almost twenty-fold increase in the number of refugees worldwide today5. The health effects of climate change will affect most populations and put the lives and well-being of billions of people at increased risk2.
Since the last report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007 the natural world has alarmed scientists by exceeding the projected worst-case scenarios for many indicators including global mean surface temperature, sea-level rise, global ocean temperature, Arctic sea ice extent, ocean acidification and extreme climatic events6. If emission trends continue, it is expected that warming will accelerate and increase the risk of sudden or irreversible environmental change6. There is still time, although limited, to prevent the worst effects of climate change6.
The health of Canadians will not be spared by climate change. According to Health Canada, aside from a decreasing number of cold days, climate change is expected to have a negative impact on health7. Climate change will bring with it an increased risk of extreme weather, frequency and severity of heat waves, infectious disease and diminished air quality7. Rural communities as well as elderly, aboriginal and marginalized people are most at risk7. Already, the combined effect of heat, poor air quality, extreme weather events and changes in traditional ways of life are being felt7.
Moving away from fossil fuels will have immediate and lasting benefits for the health of Canadians. The Ontario Medical Association estimates that each year 5,800 Ontarians die prematurely, 60,000 visit the emergency room and 16,000 are admitted to hospital as a result of smog8. There is a strong consensus within the medical community that the near-term health benefits from reduced air pollution associated with greenhouse gas mitigation can offset a substantial fraction of mitigation cost9.
In 2002, Canada agreed to reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 5% below 1990 levels by 2012 when it ratified the Kyoto Protocol10. Since then, Canada’s emissions have increased 26% from 1990 to 2007—33.8% above the Kyoto target11. Today, Canadians emit over 22 tonnes of CO2 equivalents per capita – among the highest in the world11. Earlier this year, the World Wildlife Fund ranked Canada as having the worst performance out of all G8 countries in terms of CO2 emissions and climate policy12.
Canada has a chance to reverse its dismal environmental record at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December of 2009. Here the governments of the world must agree on how to curb dangerous climate change after the Kyoto treaty expires in 2012. What is most needed for the world to move forward with such a sweeping transition is political will.
In accordance with the 2009 recommendations of the International Scientific Conference on Climate Change, we ask the Government of Canada to:
1) Cooperate with the international community to reach a global agreement in Copenhagen, set mitigation targets that are in line with the best available science and create policies to make them achievable.
2) Invest in an adaptation safety net for the world’s poorest and ensure that the plan to curb emissions is equitable for developing countries.
3) Protect the immediate and long-term health of Canadians by making use of existing technologies and approaches to reduce our reliance on non-renewables and adapt to climate change.
With this letter, we are joining the following list of medical associations appealing for protection from the health hazards posed by climate change:
World Health Organization
World Medical Association
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
American Academy of Pediatrics
American College of Physicians
American Medical Association
American Public Health Association
Australian Medical Association
Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons
British Medical Association
College of Physicians of Malaysia
College of Physicians of South Africa
Colleges of Medicine of South Africa
Hong Kong Academy of Medicine
Hong Kong College of Physicians
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Royal College of Physicians of London
Royal College of Physicians of Thailand
West African College of Physicians
Physicians for Social Responsibility
I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Tyler Johnston
President / Président
Canadian Federation of Medical Students / Fédération des Étudiants et des Étudiantes en Médecine du Canada
324 Somerset Street W, Suite 300
Ottawa, ON K2P 0J9
Tel (office/bureau): 613-565-7740
Fax (office/bureau): 613-288-0524
cc:
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Quebecois
Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democratic Party
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
References
1. WHO Statement. The impact of climate change on health: statement by WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. 7 April 2008. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2008/s05/en/index.html
2. Costello A, Abbas M, Allen A, Ball S, Bellamy R et al. Managing the health effects of climate change: Lancet and University College London Institute for Global Health commission. Lancet. 2009 May 16;373(9676):1693-733.
3. Battisti DS, Naylor RL. Historical warnings of future food insecurity with unprecedented seasonal heat. Science 2009;323:240-44.
4. Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. Hood M, Broadgate W, Urban E, Gaffney O, editors. Ocean acidification: A summary for policymakers from the second symposium on the ocean in a high-CO2 world. 2009. http://ioc3.unesco.org/oanet/OAdocs/SPM-lorezv2.pdf
5. Brown O. Migration and climate change. International Organization for Migration: Research series No. 31 Geneva; 2008.
6. International Scientific Congress. Climate change: global risks, challenges & decisions – synthesis report. 2009. http://www.anu.edu.au/climatechange/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/synthesis-report-web.pdf
7. Health Canada. Human health in a changing climate: A Canadian assessment of vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity. Ottawa; 2008.
8. Ontario Medical Association. The illness costs of air pollution: 2005-2026 health & economic damage estimates. Jun 2005.
9. IPCC, 2007: Summary for policymakers. In: Climate change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of working group III to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change.
10. United Nations. Kyoto protocol to the United Nations framework convention on climate change. 1998. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.pdf
11. Environment Canada. Information on greenhouse gas sources and sinks: Canada’s 2007 greenhouse gas inventory — a summary of trends. http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/inventory_report/2007/som-sum_eng.pdf
12. WWF. G8 Climate Scorecards. 2009. Available from: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/scorecard_4_f.swf
Jul 25, 2010
