Lunch 'n' Learn: The key role of health equity in addressing the climate crisis and other environmental risks

This webinar was presented by Dr. Sean Kidd and Mariya Bezgrebelna from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Sean and Mariya are scientists whose research explores the health impacts of climate change with a particular focus on how these impacts disproportionately affect people who face barriers, such as housing insecurity or homelessness. 

If you have follow-up questions for Sean and Mariya or would like to stay connected, you can reach out to them at ClimateHealth@CAMH.ca. 

#Overview

Sean and Mariya provided an overview of the issue and described various ways in which the health impacts of climate change are inequitable. They explored in-depth the role of housing as a determinant of health and a source of climate change vulnerability. They spoke of the need for innovative, whole-of-community responses that go beyond providing warming/cooling centres, handing out bottled water, and doing education/outreach. They shared several case examples from Canada and Australia, and they highlighted several key policy directions to advocate for. 

#Recording and Slide Deck

Access the slide deck here.

#Other Resources

The following resources were mentioned during the webinar:

• The 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels

• The Global Climate - Homelessness Network
• Canadian Poverty, Health Equity, and Climate Change Initiative
• Global Climate Implications for Homelessness: A Scoping Review
• Climate Change, Weather, Housing Precarity, and Homelessness: A Systematic Review of Reviews
• Climate change and its implications for developing brains – In utero to youth: A scoping review
• Out of the storm: Extreme weather resilience for community homelessness
• What Can We Learn from Rural Youth in British Columbia, Canada? Environment and Climate Change—Issues and Solutions

#Presenters

	Dr. Sean A. Kidd is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and is the Division Chief of Psychology at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. His work has concentrated upon research with marginalized populations, including trials of community-based interventions for individuals with schizophrenia and youth who have experienced homelessness.
	Mariya Bezgrebelna is a research analyst at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, working on the Canadian Poverty, Health Equity, and Climate Change initiative.