NCCEH: Climate-health adaptation planning - Two approaches, one shared learning journey

Climate-health adaptation planning: Two approaches, one shared learning journey

Public health authorities across Canada are progressively engaged in climate adaptation planning to reduce climate-health risks, enhance resilience, and promote health and wellbeing for all communities. Two distinct but complementary knowledge synthesis projects were undertaken to support this endeavour and the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous voices. A scoping review was conducted to highlights the range, characteristics, and gaps within the literature available on climate-heath adaptation interventions.  Key findings pertain to time and geographic trends, traits of climate-health adaptation interventions and critical gaps in knowledge and practice. An Indigenous lens synthesis project introduces critical concepts of Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, and best practices that public health authorities must understand and meaningfully apply to work with and learn from Indigenous populations. This webinar will highlight key findings from both projects, their significance and utility for public health practice and the necessity of applying both Indigenous knowledge and Western Science to climate-health adaptation. 

Participants of this webinar will:

• Increase their understanding of Indigenous perspectives and best practices that are required to promote the meaningful inclusion of Indigenous voices in climate-health adaptation.
• Be empowered to use the research findings to support local public health climate change adaptation planning in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike.
• Increase their awareness of gaps in knowledge and practice identified by the scoping review and strategies to help advance knowledge.
• Inspire engagement in activities, collaborations and the development of research agendas that will influence and shape the public health response to climate change in a proactive, inclusive way benefiting future generations. 

Kerry-Ann Charles-Norris is a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation and the Environmental Partnership Co-ordinator for Cambium Indigenous Professional Services (CIPS). She has been involved in Climate Change Adaptation Planning since 2011 which includes assisting Indigenous Communities in assessing, prioritizing and developing health specific adaptation and implementation plans that reflect the community perspectives, needs and priorities and are founded on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). She has participated in numerous conferences including the keynote for Queens University’s 19th Annual Health and Human Rights Conference 2019 as well as in Mexico and US giving Indigenous perspectives on Environmental issues.

Sarah Warren is the climate change project associate at Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU). Sarah earned a Masters of Public Health in Social and Behaviours Health Sciences from Dalla Lana School of Public Health within the University of Toronto. Sarah is passionate about improving population health and wellbeing with a particular interest in addressing environmental health topics, including climate change, through the application of health promotion competencies and an intersectional lens. In her position with SMDHU and as a policy analyst with the Public Health Agency of Canada Sarah has led the work on the scoping review project.

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