We often hear about the environmental impacts of climate change. Less often do we hear about how climate change is affecting human health.

Changes to the climate and environment can impact people's mental and physical health and well-being in many ways. The changes associated with climate change may be widespread, and will be experienced globally, nationally, provincially, and locally. Climate change can affect health:

1. Directly by causing injury, illness, or death primarily related to extreme weather events and extreme temperatures.
2. Indirectly through interactions with natural systems and/or human systems. For example, warmer and wetter conditions increase the range and transmissions of infectious disease; psychosocial impacts; and population displacement.

In Simcoe Muskoka, climate health hazards include:

• Extreme Temperature (extreme heat and extreme cold)
• Extreme Weather and Hazards (severe storms, tornadoes, drought, wildfires)
• Vector-borne Disease (West Nile virus, Lyme disease)
• Air Quality (poor air quality and wildfire smoke)
• Food and Water contamination and availability (food and water security, availability, and quality)
• Ultraviolet Radiation

Each of these hazards can influence physical and mental well-being.

The health unit plays a role in helping our communities lessen the effects of, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change.

We:

• Identify and monitor health risks related to climate change.
• Engage with municipal and community partners, community members, and the broader public health community to increase awareness of climate change and health.
• Work with our partners and communities to reduce the impacts of climate health on populations in Simcoe Muskoka through climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

What Matters to Your Health

Everyone will feel the effects of climate change. However, some people face greater health risks than others. Health risks of climate change are related to many factors like age, income, health status, access to health care, access to safe and affordable housing, and access to a health-supportive community which play a role in how much impact our changing climate will have on our health.

An Important Public Health Issue

We have identified climate change as an important public health issue that interacts with many other public health issues.

We published a report to identify health impacts of climate change in Simcoe Muskoka: A Changing Climate: Assessing health impacts & vulnerabilities due to climate change within Simcoe Muskoka. As a companion to this report, an interactive Climate Change Story Map can be accessed on our HealthSTATS website.

Reducing Emissions

We can all contribute to lessening the impact of climate change. One of the ways to do this is through reducing our personal carbon emissions. You can reduce your emissions by:

• reducing waste
• driving less - using active or public transportation options
• planting trees

For More Information

Call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or toll-free 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

External Links

Canada

• Mobilizing Public Health Action on Climate Change in Canada: The Chief Public Health Officer of Canada's report on the state of public health in Canada 2022
• Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate
• Canada's National Adaptation Strategy: Building Resilient Communities and a Strong Economy
• Canada's Climate Plans and Targets

Ontario

• Made in Ontario Environment Plan

Global

• ClimaHealth.ca
• Climate Change and Health
• Climate Change