Climate change is a health crisis

As we cope with extreme heat waves and unpredictable wildfires this summer, it is hard to deny that climate change is a reality. With record setting high temperatures in many places in the West, this stretch of hot weather is a searing reminder of how human actions are affecting our planet. If global warming continues unabated, it is easy to imagine how life will become unbearable.
The health of humans and the health of our planet are inextricably linked. The effects of climate change on human health are already evident in Canada and so many other places in the world. Our northern latitude exaggerates the effect of climate change and disproportionately affects populations living in the Far North including many Inuit communities whose livelihoods are intertwined with the conditions of the land.
Climate change is the biggest public health threat of the 21st century. The World Health Organization estimates that 5 million deaths will occur due to heat, malnutrition and diarrheal diseases attributable to climate change between 2030 and 2050. The scale and severity of the impact of global warming on human health can put health systems, economies and even global security at risk.
Climate change has both direct and indirect impacts on health. Heat waves, hurricanes and wildfires result in heat-related illness, trauma and death. Warmer temperatures increase the range of insect-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, malaria and West-Nile virus resulting in their spread to parts of the world they were not found in before. Climate change also has significant effects on mental health as extreme weather events can increase anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide risk.
Fortunately, we have the technical and policy knowledge to avert climate disaster. What we need to do is create political will for immediate action and push our decision-makers to make use of the tools we have to keep us, and our planet, healthy.
The carbon tax is the cheapest and most effective way of fighting climate change. But it suffers from a serious public relations problem. Due to poor communication by policymakers, many Canadians have an immediate and negative reaction to this highly efficient policy to fight climate change.
Carbon tax is about choice and freedom for individuals and businesses to decide how we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the products we buy or sell. Unlike regulations, which force people to take certain actions, carbon taxes affect prices and create incentives for environmentally-friendly behaviours. We know very well that price affects consumer behaviour. Tax the sale of cigarettes, and the percentage of Canadians who smoke drops. Raise taxes on alcohol, and people choose to drink less.
Similarly, the carbon tax works by providing financial incentives for individuals to pollute less and encourages companies to offer products and services that result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions. It works by creating an economic incentive for reducing carbon reductions while maintaining a strong economy. This is why supporters of the carbon tax include Preston Manning, founder of the Reform Party; Elon Musk, investor and entrepreneur; and Steve Williams, former CEO of Suncor – Canada’s largest oil producer.
In British Columbia and California, where the carbon tax has been in place for many years, there is evidence that greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced while maintaining a strong economy and creating quality jobs. Not only does the carbon tax reduce present emissions, but it also affects future emissions as engineers and entrepreneurs innovate to develop technologies that reduce emissions even further, encouraged by strong cost incentives provided by rising carbon taxation.
Many Canadians believe that the carbon tax is taking money out of their pockets, but in reality 8 out of 10 families in Canada receive more through the Canada Carbon Rebate – previously known more enigmatically as the Climate Action Incentive Plan – than they pay in carbon taxes. Recent polling shows that less than half of Canadians who are eligible for the rebates realize they are being getting back what they paid out and often more.
Pierre Poilievre and other “ax-the-tax” politicians are taking advantage of everyday Canadians’ knowledge gap about effective climate change policy and want us to believe that removing the carbon tax will save us money, and magically avert us from climate catastrophe at the same time.
Once we understand the economic principles behind the carbon tax, we will all join Preston, Elon and Steve in embracing the tax, and joyously visit the bank to retrieve our Carbon Tax Rebate.
Vamini Selvanandan is a family physician and public health practitioner in Alberta. For more articles like this, visit www.engagedcitizen.ca.
By Vamini Selvanandan© 2024. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.