The federal government needs to put more resources into both preparing for and preventing the health effects of changing weather, says one of the authors of an as-yet-unreleased Health Canada report on climate change.
Nobel Prize-winning climate change scientist Gordon McBean told CTV's Canada AM on Friday that the federal government needs to have a co-ordinated national warning system for potentially hazardous weather patterns such as extreme hot or cold temperatures.
"There's a need for more warning systems," McBean said. "We have heat alerts in some cities and not in others. I'd like to see some more national co-ordination and leadership on a warning system across the country that integrates all these things rather than having it piecemeal here and there."
McBean, a professor at the University of Western Ontario, released his chapter of the report on climate change and health to The Canadian Press this week.
In the chapter, McBean warns that extreme weather conditions will put Canadians at greater risk of injuries, illness and mental-health problems related to stress, CP reported.
The chapter also says that the elderly and young children face the greatest risks for developing adverse health effects from climate change.
McBean said weather patterns can have devastating consequences on human beings, including a wide range of physical and mental illnesses and even death.
Events such as floods and tornados can not only kill or injure people, but they can also have long-term health effects, he said.
For example, major storms can contaminate water systems -- such as the storm that led to Walkerton, Ont.'s E.coli outbreak in 2000. The outbreak killed seven people and made more than 2,000 others sick.
McBean also said that living through a terrifying event could cause psychological trauma.
He would like to see a system similar to those in some European countries, which post health advisories if weather conditions may trigger certain health problems, such as migraine or an asthma attack.
Quentin Chiotti of the environmental think-tank Pollution Probe collaborated on the report, and told CP that it is a "wake-up call . . . that climate change is going to have a significant impact on the health of Canadians."
McBean released his chapter of the report, which was written by a number of leading scientists, to spur the government to take action now. He said he hopes the recent government announcement of new funds for infrastructure will include money to improve emergency preparedness.
He said that infrastructure needs to be able to "withstand the changing climate events" so people's health is not impacted.
McBean said he began work on the report back in 2003 and completed most of his work in 2006.
At a press conference earlier this week, Health Minister Tony Clement was asked when the report might be released. Clement said that he hadn't yet read it, but it would be released to the public after he reviews it and then develops any necessary policy recommendations based on the findings.
