Aging and less affluent, the population of Gaspésie and the Magdalen Islands risks suffering the full brunt of the impacts of the climate crisis, warns the region’s public health department. And the means to prepare for what is to come are still insufficient.
Coastal erosion, submersion, flooding, storms, heat, more intense precipitation and the increased presence of disease vectors will have very real impacts on the health of citizens and communities, notes the Gaspésie Public Health Department –Îles-de-la-Madeleine in a report published Wednesday and entitled “Climate vulnerabilities projected for 2050”.
The potential consequences are numerous, according to Marianne Papillon, public health consultant: worsening of chronic diseases, food and water insecurity, psychological distress and mental disorders, increase in infectious diseases, weakening of the social fabric and access care and services, etc.
“Climate change will have a disproportionate impact on people already in vulnerable situations. The accelerated aging of the population and the high level of poverty in the region will, for example, exacerbate the consequences on the population of Gaspésie and the Islands,” underlines Yv Bonnier-Viger, regional public health director Gaspésie–Îles-de-la -Madeleine.
Older and less affluent people are in fact more exposed to the consequences of a climate crisis which will continue to worsen in the coming decades, due to the global lack of ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Erosion
Coastal erosion, submersion and storms can lead to road cuts or force the relocation of residents, which can cause distress, social tension, loss of income, post-traumatic stress or even separation. access to care.
However, coastal erosion is hitting the maritime regions of Quebec hard. In Gaspésie, for example, the phenomenon directly threatens communities and entire sections of Route 132, a vital road link for the region. And in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, where erosion is already very present, 70% of the coastal areas are also at risk of submersion, due to rising water levels, the effect of storms and the disappearance of covered in ice in winter.
Rising temperatures, which will most likely promote extreme weather events, are also expected to increase sixfold the number of “very hot” days, i.e. over 30 degrees Celsius, by 2050. Warming will also allow arrival of disease vectors, such as the tick responsible for Lyme disease, in addition to potentially increasing the risk of forest fires.
All of the expected impacts lead public health experts to say that warming will increase pressure on a health system already hit by a lack of manpower and resources. The Dr Bonnier-Viger therefore insists on the need to develop adaptation measures that will meet the needs of the region.
Resources
At the moment, however, the resources needed to adapt to the impacts of the climate crisis are not there. “Most people say that the resources that are currently available don’t seem to be enough,” he says.
“We tend to put resources in at the last minute, such as after a storm or when a beach is eroding. But we see that there is an awareness that is awakening in the population and among our decision-makers that we must plan and put more resources into climate change,” adds Dr.r Bonnier-Viger. “This concern will force our decision-makers to put more resources into solving the problems. We will have no choice. »
A large university study published in 2021 also concluded that the climate crisis was already having repercussions on the mental health of Quebecers, and that these risk getting worse in the coming years. In the study, 43% of respondents who suffered financial losses attributable to the climate crisis also reported suffering from symptoms of major depression, a proportion 2.5 times higher than in the general population.
The problems caused by climate change — heat, smog, ticks, ragweed, etc. — also appear to play an important role in the development of mental health disorders. Some 28% of people who had recently experienced health problems caused by these upheavals reported moderate or severe symptoms of major depression, a proportion 60% higher than what is observed in the general population.
The World Health Organization considers that global warming and the resulting climate variability are the main risks for our societies on a global scale and, in particular, for the health of populations.