At-a-glance - Climate change impacts on health and wellbeing in rural and remote regions across Canada: a synthesis of the literature

Abstract

This article provides a synthesis of the forthcoming first order draft of the Canadian Government’s National Assessment on Climate Change ‘Rural and Remote’ chapter, highlighting key health concerns from the literature associated with climate change in rural and remote regions, as well as existing and future adaptation strategies. To support the health and wellbeing of those experiencing the negative effects of climate change, and utilizing systematic search processes, this synthesis article highlights the importance of considering the specific socio-cultural, economic, and geographic elements and existing expertise of individuals and communities in rural and remote regions.

Assessing Climate Change Vulnerabilities of Ontario's Rural Populations

“…Expanding on the Public Health Agency of Canada's definition, Kipp et al (2019) define rural communities as areas that either have under 10,000 residents or have less than 50% of the population who commute to an urban center for employment. Canada is composed of approximately 20% rural communities that have less than 10,000 residents (Lavoie, Wong, Katz, & Sinclair, 2016).…”

“…Climate change effects result in extreme weather events. These events include storms, flooding and heat or cold waves with intensified negative impacts on rural communities (Kipp et al, 2019;Yusa et al, 2015;Ford et al, 2017;Waldie, 2011;Ogden, 2017). Storms and flooding cause property damage and adversely affect farming activities (Waldie, 2011;Curtis, Fair, Wistow, Val, & Oven, 2017); severe weather events such as heat and cold waves are also linked to the increase in cardiac and respiratory diseases, hospital visits, and emergency service calls (Kipp et al, 2019;Curtis et al, 2017).…”

“…These events include storms, flooding and heat or cold waves with intensified negative impacts on rural communities (Kipp et al, 2019;Yusa et al, 2015;Ford et al, 2017;Waldie, 2011;Ogden, 2017). Storms and flooding cause property damage and adversely affect farming activities (Waldie, 2011;Curtis, Fair, Wistow, Val, & Oven, 2017); severe weather events such as heat and cold waves are also linked to the increase in cardiac and respiratory diseases, hospital visits, and emergency service calls (Kipp et al, 2019;Curtis et al, 2017). These events can also create psychological distress and decrease psychological resilience by increasing the prevalence of psychological disorders, which often leads to the outmigration of youth and families (Vasseur, L., Thornbush, M., & Plante, S., 2017;Drolet & Sampson, 2017).…”

“…These events can also create psychological distress and decrease psychological resilience by increasing the prevalence of psychological disorders, which often leads to the outmigration of youth and families (Vasseur, L., Thornbush, M., & Plante, S., 2017;Drolet & Sampson, 2017). The feelings of isolation (Higginbottom et al, 2016) and deep connection to nature make the rural population highly vulnerable in responding negatively to the effects of climate change (Kipp et al, 2019), they often become more anxious, depressed, and distressed due to the significant changes (Kipp et al, 2019). This is exacerbated by existing problems; researchers have found that recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals have been ongoing issues for numerous rural communities (Lavoie et al, 2016;Lauckner & Hutchinson, 2016;MacLeod et al, 2017).…”

Editorial - Climate change and health: a grand challenge and grand opportunity for public health in Canada

“…This Special Issue begins with a synthesis of climatesensitive health concerns in the literature in rural and remote regions in Canada by Kipp et al 11 Utilizing a scoping review search process, this article identi fies the key health vulnerabilities and strengths of rural and remote regions, and discusses challenges associated with food and water security, exacerbation of chronic illness, infectious diseases, mor bidity and mortality, and mental health.…”