Alberta at the Crossroads: Summer of Smoke and Fire - Dr Courtney Howard, MD
Climate change is the biggest health threat of our time, undermining the ecological foundations of both health and health systems. The summer of 2023 saw extreme wildfires in multiple jurisdictions across Canada, resulting in severe exposures to toxic wildfire smoke and large-scale evacuation of multiple communities and health structures. We must integrate local, regional and national-level work in order to reduce impacts from the wildfires we cannot now avoid and urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many elements of a low-carbon transition have immediate co-benefits for health and health systems. Reorienting our efforts to measure and maximize well-being can help us focus and integrate efforts across silos—setting us on a path to a healthier future.