Factsheet: Engaging in Climate Change Solutions as Health Professionals

The document outlines how health professionals can act as trusted messengers to educate the public on climate-related health risks, engage peers through academic and professional channels, and influence policy-makers. It emphasizes focusing on climate policies that offer immediate health co-benefits and healthcare savings, while encouraging institutional changes such as fossil fuel divestment in universities and professional associations. The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) supports these efforts through regional volunteer committees in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario.

• Health professionals are positioned as effective advocates for climate action because they are viewed as "trusted and credible messengers" and can utilize the "health frame" to motivate behavioral changes in the public.
• Health professionals can protect the public by educating them on specific climate-related health risks, including power outages from extreme storms, wildfire smoke, heat waves, and diseases such as Lyme’s disease and West Nile virus.
• Strategies for professional and community engagement include publishing in peer-reviewed journals, integrating ecological determinants of health into university curricula, and lobbying for divestment from fossil fuels within educational and professional institutions.
• The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) facilitates professional engagement through regional volunteer committees located in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and BC.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Factsheet: Engaging in Climate Change Solutions as Health Professionals. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-8-FACTSHEET-READY-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Factsheet: Engaging in Climate Change Solutions as Health Professionals. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-8-FACTSHEET-READY-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Factsheet: Engaging in Climate Change Solutions as Health Professionals |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-8-FACTSHEET-READY-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndfactsheet, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Factsheet: Engaging in Climate Change Solutions as Health Professionals}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Module-8-FACTSHEET-READY-TO-UPLOAD.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }