Environment Matters | CK Public Health

Why Environment Matters

Environment impacts our health in many ways. Research shows that our environment is changing and we are already seeing the impacts of those changes on our health as Canadians. Climate change is worsening our health by:

Affecting our hearts and lungs from worsening air pollution and hotter weather
Creating trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from emergency evacuations and displacement from floods and wildfires
Increasing food insecurity due to extreme weather events
Spreading Lyme disease into new regions in Canada

Improving our environment will directly improve our health.

We will see immediate health benefits when we take on climate solutions that work on:

Improving air quality
Increasing physical activity
Supporting consumption of sustainable diets
Enhancing the natural environment

Together, we can improve our health by improving our environment.

Local Context

The impacts of a changing climate are no longer just being felt in far away places, they are being experienced by our friends and neighbours in our own community. In Chatham-Kent, we are seeing hotter summers and greener winters. Our community has also experienced more and more erosion and flooding which has greatly affected our shoreline residents – threatening their homes and impacting their mental health. Climate projections for Chatham-Kent suggest that our local climate will continue to get hotter and wetter in the future and that the health impacts of climate change will increase accordingly, unless we take action to fight climate change today.

Want to Know More?

Canadian Climate Atlas

What Can You Do?

Become aware of how climate solutions that improve air quality, increase physical activity, support consumption of sustainable diets, and enhance the natural environment improve both our health and the health of our planet. Understanding this help us support policies that work towards these solutions.

Examples of policies that target climate solutions include:

Improving air quality with actions to support:
- Public transit
- Electric vehicles
- Renewable energy
- Energy efficiency at home and at work
- Reduced extraction of oil and gas
- Diverting organic waste from the landfill
Increasing physical activity with policies for:
- Ensuring that active transportation services are included in new developments
- Enhancing active transportation services in existing neighbourhoods
- Connected communities where community design supports active transportation, such as cycling
- Walking and green space
- Increasing shade cover throughout the community to encourage physical activity during hot days
Supporting consumption of sustainable diets with policies for:
- Preserving biodiversity during food production and gathering
- Eliminating food deserts
- Increasing access to fresh, local, affordable fruits and vegetables
- Promoting plant-based proteins and seasonal eating practices
- Promoting unprocessed and minimally processed foods
- Enhancing opportunities for improved food literacy and food preparation and preservation (canning) skills in the community
- Promoting backyard gardening, community gardening and urban farming
- Reducing food loss and food waste
Enhancing the natural environment with policies for:
- Enhancing tree cover in urban and rural areas
- Supporting the restoration of natural features such as wetlands, tree stands, native prairies and savannahs.
- Enhancing the abundance of native pollinator plants

Other actions you can take can include:

Planting trees and native plants
Composting your food waste
Speaking to your Member of Parliament (MP) about the benefits of improving our environment – how it will also improve our health and save us money in the long run.
Engaging in local climate solutions and community groups

Helpful Links