ID: 1614
Presenting Author: Chris Buse
Session: 642 - Enhancing the credibility and impact of climate change and health impact assessments
Status: pending
The health sector plays a role in both adaptation to and mitigation of climate change. Multi-sectoral engagement can bolster the credibility and efficacy of health system engagement in climate work.
In Canada, Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments (CCHVAAs) have become a practice-based standard for understanding and responding to the health impacts of climate change. Accordingly, they are a key aspect of public health surveillance for promoting tangible actions that can enhance the sustainability of health system operations, while also identifying equity-oriented interventions that address within and between population health differences from climate hazards. This presentation draws on the author’s insights from leading some of Canada’s first CCHVAAs to reflect on the challenge of health system credibility in fostering adaptation. Specifically, it considers that actions from across multiple sectors can be considered health system adaptation because of lessening the burden of illness from climate change. Accordingly, CCHVAAs must embed multi-sectoral and healthy public policy strategies when synthesizing evidence and driving next generation climate solutions. The presentation highlights examples where engaging in more holistic assessments have fostered multi-sectoral action, and identifies practice-based recommendations that meet the challenge of enhancing credibility for CCHVAAs, but also health sector action on climate change.
Dr. Chris Buse is an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University where he runs the BC-REACH Lab (Researching Equitable Adaptation for Climate and Health).