Linking Climate Change to Health
Prince George, B.C. – UNBC has signed on to the Health Educators Climate Commitment, an initiative that involves more than 100 schools in Canada, the US and the rest of the world.The initiative means future health professionals will be trained to address the health impacts associated to climate change.
Those health impacts can range from a safe and adequate food supply to a person’s mental health “The most interesting part of the story on climate change is that it affects things that make us well and healthy” says Michelle Connolly, UNBC’s coordinator for the Pacific institute for Climate Solutions.
“In B.C. and western Canada for instance, much of the water we drink comes from rain, snow and ice. Climate change is affecting the patterns of rain and snow and in the summer, ice is the most important source of water for lakes and rivers and we know that in B.C. almost all glaciers are shrinking. So that is an example of something all people need” says Connolly.
Warmer waters and drought also place pressure on the fishery, while ungulates, such as Moose, caribou and deer, need a good snowpack to access food and avoid predators “We’ve been seeing lower snowfalls, lower snow packs, so if there is more mortality of these species then there is less healthy wild game.”
Connolly says humans are dependent on the natural world “When people say impacts on health, they aren’t just referring to physical health but mental and emotional health, it’s not just meeting your basic needs.”
UNBC’s School of Health Sciences has already identified a working group for implementation of actions related to the Health Educators Climate Commitment. The School of Health Sciences will also work in collaboration with faculty members from the Northern Medical Program and UNBC’s School of Nursing. Together, they will look towards gaining an understanding of the possible consequences of climate change on health, and how those consequences can best be addressed.
Comments
Really?
From the article:-“Together, they will look towards gaining an understanding of the possible consequences of climate change on health, and how those consequences can best be addressed.”
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We all know already how they’re going to be addressed. More taxes. Why don’t they study the effects of more taxes on everyone’s health? Might be a good idea, since if climate change is all man made from doing what we’ve been doing to try to earn our daily bread, and we’re hit with more taxes, we’re going to have to do MORE of what we’ve been doing to pay them, and still live, no? Are these taxes going to fund some better way of reducing our impact on the climate? Is there any evidence that the ones we’re already paying to supposedly do that, like the carbon tax, for instance, (and there are many others), have had any effect doing that at all? Didn’t think so.
Oh great, another bunch of freeloaders looking for a bunch of handouts to fund their stupid little projects. Get a real job.
|Good morning!!!!
SSDD
“more than 100 schools in Canada, the US and the rest of the world”
If that 100 schools refers to the whole world, we should not even have been chosen. Even 100 schools in Canada is a bit of a long shot.
Time for Northern Health to buy a lottery ticket, or quit volunteering and allow those who will be more affected by climate change to get the information.
editor’s note:
This is not a Northern Health initiative, it is a University initiative.
OMG! Do you ever just sit there and think, who dreams up crap like this?
“will be trained to address the health impacts associated to climate change.”
Please clarify, is that warmer or cooler. If it is referring to warmer then all those that head for Mexico each winter must be a bunch of sickies.
“The most interesting part of the story on climate change is that it affects things that make us well and healthy” says Michelle Connolly, UNBC’s coordinator for the Pacific institute for Climate Solutions.”
Well she got that right, since c02 has increased the world has greened over 30% and food production is way up. Hey even the Sahara is greening.
“ice is the most important source of water for lakes and rivers”
Not really it is the rain and snow melt, guess she has never heard of climatic cycles, or increasing water use without increasing storage capacity
“We’ve been seeing lower snowfalls, lower snow packs”,
Really, tell that to those back east. Again I guess she never heard of climatic and weather cycles, PDO, ENSO. The world is still recovering from the Little Ice Age, who wants to go back to the LIA? Hey when it was warmer humanity expanded and prospered, Roman warm period for one.
“UNBC’s School of Health Sciences has already identified a working group for implementation of actions related to the Health Educators Climate Commitment.”
Only if they eat out of the same granola bowl.
“When people say impacts on health, they aren’t just referring to physical health but mental and emotional health”
yep that is why so many run off to Mexico each winter, it is WARMER there.
The most accurate measure of global temperature is satellites and they have shown no global warming for 18 years, 9 months. Put that in your granola bowl and eat it.
Still no word if any rentseekers up the hill got a taxpayer funded Christmas shopping trip to the party in Paris.
Oh well, I guess since UNBC is bleeding money they have to find more money some where.
I believe that climate change is a serious issue but this expenditure is simply nuts!
How is climate change a serious issue? No warming for 18 years, 9 months or do you mean the cycles lining up indicating a cooling starting in a year or two.
Money follow the money. Heck in the seventies “scientists” where ranting about a coming ice age. Had to switch their tactic on that one.
http://www.friendsofscience.org/
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/12/09/germanys-impossible-and-impractical-wind-and-solar-goal/
Is this how science works?
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/12/07/climate-skeptics-in-paris-branded-as-criminals-wanted-posters-go-up-in-the-city/
“This is not a Northern Health initiative, it is a University initiative.”
Sorry, I was in a rush to get to a meeting.
On looking into it more thoroughly, as I should have, it is actually a U.S. initiative, launched at the White House in April 2015, with the intent to promote it as a global effort. UNBC is one of 100 “schools” to sign onto that USA initiative.
70 USA institutes signed on initially. Subsequently there were 13 additional from the USA, 19 from Canada and 16 from the rest of the world for a total of 118. That is the latest I could find.
UBC is signed on through their Faculty of Medicine which should filter through to the medical students we have at UNBC. In addition, UNBC is signed on through their School of Health Sciences.
Personally, I think I think the effort would be better spent trying to improve the health services available for workers in remote areas of BC, especially the entire Northern Health Region, who have a trauma injury in the woodland workplace and are often not able to get to one of the 22 or so trauma centres located in the region within what is known as the post injury “golden hour” after which any further delay will have serious consequences to the survivability of the patient or the extent of major residual injury which will change the lifestyle and livelihood of the patient and the immediate family. Our system is almost in a third world-like shambles.
Listened to the lady from Pacific institute for Climate Solutions mention the poor salmon return this year was because of “climate change”. Guess they figure no other reason. yep that’s climate science for ya, no proof what so ever. Young lady ever hear of PDO or how about over fishing? Hey what about the years of good salmon returns, no mention there.
Then she goes on about local concerns, how hunting could be affected. That should pull the local heart strings. Again no factual information to back up her claims. She would make a good used car salesman, sorry saleswoman.
If this what passes for science at our universities well definitely not getting bang for our buck. Hey but a good party in Paris taxpayer funded.
seamutt, I watched the local news this evening and saw a Dr. from up on the hill and also I believe the lady that you speak of.
As I listened to their schpeel I found myself sitting there shaking my head, thinking “do these two people now represent what we think of as intelligent people up on the hill?”
Lord, help us!
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