Dr. Theresa Tam lists climate change and capitalism as drivers of negative health
By Andrew Kozak
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada (CPHO) Dr. Theresa Tam has listed climate change among other social issues such as white supremacy, capitalism, colonialism and racism as “systemic drivers of negative health.”
In its latest report titled, “What We Heard: Perspectives on Climate Change and Public Health Canada,” the government suggests that these issues must be addressed in order to improve public health.
The report is based on 21 one-on-one interviews with key public health “experts” across Canada with the aim of understanding the health impacts of climate change on Canadians.
“We heard that there is a central role for public health systems in climate change adaptation,” writes the report. “We also heard that there is an urgent need to strengthen public health systems’ strategies to actively engage in decolonizing action, and embrace other systems of knowledge regarding human well-being and planetary health.”
The fears from interviewed “experts” include ignoring voices that need to be heard to address the climate crisis and polarization rather than a united effort to mitigate and adapt to the health impacts of climate change.