The Meaning of Do No Harm in a Planetary Health Crisis

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) criticizes the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) for attempting to use the pandemic to suspend environmental regulations. CAPE asserts that 'Do No Harm' in a planetary health context requires strengthening climate policies, investing in a net-zero transition by 2050, and addressing the ecological determinants of health to prevent future zoonotic and climate-related crises.

• The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) sent a confidential memo to the federal Cabinet in late March 2020 requesting the "suspension of regulations that protect human and ecological health" and the "delay or cancellation of climate change policies" under the guise of a "public health response" to the pandemic.
• CAPE argues that the 'Do No Harm' principle in the context of planetary health requires maintaining or strengthening environmental health policies and aligning public spending with Canada's national commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
• The document links the COVID-19 pandemic to a lack of attention to the interface between humans, animals, and disease vectors, describing the virus as a "zoonotic virus" and the crisis as a "wakeup call" regarding the danger of failing to account for nature.
• The author references a UNICEF-World Health Organization-Lancet report that ranked Canada 170th out of 180 nations for sustainability, characterizing Canada as one of the wealthy nations that "threaten every child’s future through climate change."
• The federal government announced $1.7 billion for cleaning up orphan wells in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, and a $750 million emission-reduction fund focused on methane.

APA

Howard, C. (2020). The Meaning of Do No Harm in a Planetary Health Crisis. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/the-meaning-of-do-no-harm-in-a-planetary-health-crisis/

Chicago

Howard, Courtney. The Meaning of Do No Harm in a Planetary Health Crisis. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2020. https://cape.ca/the-meaning-of-do-no-harm-in-a-planetary-health-crisis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Howard |first1=Courtney |title=The Meaning of Do No Harm in a Planetary Health Crisis |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=17 April 2020 |url=https://cape.ca/the-meaning-of-do-no-harm-in-a-planetary-health-crisis/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{howard2020meaning, author = {Howard, Courtney}, title = {{The Meaning of Do No Harm in a Planetary Health Crisis}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://cape.ca/the-meaning-of-do-no-harm-in-a-planetary-health-crisis/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }