Health professionals and climate change communication: An exploratory study in Northern Ontario

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Date
2021Author
Sanderson, Robert
Subject
Health and climate changeClimate change communication (Health professionals)
Climate and health education
Climate change mitigation
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Show full item recordAbstract
Health professionals are recognizing and experiencing the impacts of climate change in their
work and understand the need to communicate this information to the people and populations
they serve. Improved climate change communication, utilizing health professionals’ trusted
position in society, has been highlighted as a means to effectively create engagement and
stimulate support for climate action. While effective methods of communicating climate change
have been identified, there is a dearth of literature demonstrating how health professionals are
communicating climate change in their work. In recognition of this gap in research, this study
examined how health professionals, who identify as climate change leaders, perceive and
communicate climate impacts and action in Northern Ontario. Key-informant interviews (n=19)
were conducted with health professionals engaged as climate change leaders in Northern
Ontario. The findings from this study revealed that a concerned and passionate subset of
Northern Ontario health professionals exists, who understand and recognize the serious health
implications presented by climate change. These health professionals viewed the impacts of
climate change extending beyond physical health, impacting mental health and social wellbeing,
in addition to driving further health inequities based on social determinants of health. However,
the current expectations of the health professionals’ role, feeling a lack of capacity and available
time, and the politicization and fear of damaging the trusted relationship between clients,
community and the health professional were all identified as prominent barriers to
communicating climate change. Despite these challenges, participants saw potential for their role
to incorporate climate change communication and offered valuable insight into how this might
be achieved. Developing an approach to communication that recognises the unique context and
experiences of populations residing in the North, while respectfully navigating the tricky
sociopolitical landscape, will be imperative to effective communication and action engagement.
That being the case, participants advocated for further education and training in regard to climate
change health communication to significantly improve their capacity to incorporate the
communication into their role, as well as additional resources to support the development of
context-specific messaging they could use in their daily practice. These tools would help
participants, and health professionals across Northern Ontario, improve their capacity to
effectively engage in climate change communication to improve the health of the populations
they serve.
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