Health in the Climate Crossroads: From Risk Awareness to Protective Action and the Structural Barriers in Between

Details

Canada’s escalating climate emergencies are generating health burdens that test institutions and individuals alike. Drawing on interviews with BC community leaders and a national survey of 2,104 Canadian adults, this presentation examines how health risk perception shapes adaptation at both the community and individual level. Across both studies, understanding health risk drives adaptive action. However, community leaders note that siloed funding, diffuse intergovernmental accountability, and a system oriented toward reaction over prevention hinder health protective adaptation. The session closes by inviting attendees to consider the role of health researchers in generating the evidence needed to support health-protective climate adaptation.

Please contact Pamela Lee for attendance details.

Glory Apantaku, PhD

Climate and Health Scientist, Interior Health

Glory Apantaku is a climate and health researcher whose work sits at the intersection of health, public policy, and climate action. She has worked with public-sector and health system partners in Canada, contributing to climate and health vulnerability assessments, adaptation planning, and capacity-building aimed at promoting climate resilience. Her doctoral research explored climate-related health risks, how they are understood and addressed in practice.