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Pembroke Waterfront Park was one of Pembroke's public areas hardest hit by the floods.
Tina Peplinskie
There is clear scientific evidence that the Earth's climate is changing.
According to Health Canada, this means changes in current normal weather conditions, such as temperature, rain / snow, extreme weather events and sea level rise. As a general rule, climate change is expected to result in warmer temperatures, longer and warmer summers, more frequent and / or more intense weather events such as hurricanes / tornadoes, thunderstorms, forest fires, floods and droughts.
Unfortunately, some of these events we have already experienced recently at the regional level.
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Experts are also concerned that climate change is hurting human life. So, I want to describe some of the effects on public and community health.
Climate extremes can have a negative impact on health, such as cold weather hypothermia, heat-related illnesses on the hottest days, and injuries or even weather-related deaths such as floods and tornadoes. Unfortunately, climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including the elderly, young children, people with chronic diseases and socially disadvantaged people (poor, homeless, for example).
Here are some of the more specific impacts of climate change on public health, adapted from Health Canada:
Infectious diseases
Changes in precipitation and temperature could increase the number of waterborne and foodborne infections and outbreaks.
Climate change can also affect the incidence and extend the geographic reach of vector-borne diseases, which are insect-borne infections.
For example, mosquitoes with infections such as the Zika virus may eventually migrate north as the temperature warms up.
Another concrete and current example is the gradual migration of ticks carrying Lyme disease over the last five years, which have slowly migrated to many parts of Ontario. These ticks develop in hot and humid conditions.
Warmer temperatures will also lengthen the transmission seasons of these insects. In other words, longer summer weather periods mean longer seasons of insects.
Extreme weather events
Climate change can increase the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme weather events such as severe storms, floods, hurricanes, forest fires and droughts.
Such extreme weather conditions can have direct and indirect effects on health, ranging from injuries and deaths, to mental health disorders to infectious diseases.
Higher temperatures
Exposure to high heat and humidity can lead to heat stress, or even heat stroke, which can be deadly.
Extreme temperatures can also aggravate pre-existing conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and are particularly dangerous for young children and the elderly.
In addition, high temperatures can also increase levels of pollen and other airborne particles that can trigger asthma attacks.
Effects on the quality of the air
Poor air quality should become an even bigger challenge as climate change progresses.
The main health problems badociated with poor air quality (smog) include increased rates of heart disease, respiratory illnesses and respiratory allergies.
Finally, officials at the local, national and international levels are very concerned about this global threat and are urgently working to prevent or stop these changes.
However, at the individual / personal level, it is extremely important to be prepared for emergencies and how to protect yourself and your family from extreme weather and extreme events.
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