“They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it” — Mark Twain
I am a cardiologist specialist who has worked with seriously ill patients for 30 years. For me, it is urgent to deal with the problem upstream and to actually prevent it. The climate crisis should be addressed alongside exercise prevention, optimal blood pressure control, diabetes prevention and smoking cessation. The climate emergency is a public health issue. It is essential to integrate it into prevention now, for us and for future generations.
We have all been hypnotized and numbed by COVID-19 since March 2020. Our vigilance towards our planet has dropped sharply. We hardly talk about the problem that is the climate emergency. However, this problem is indeed present and continues to grow. Every effort is needed to mitigate this threat. Because there is a threat to health and to the heart. Global warming jeopardizes several already vulnerable patients, weakened by poor genetics and/or poor lifestyle.
Even before climate change hit us hard in Quebec, heart failure was on the rise due to the aging of the population. By 2021, the cost of heart failure was more than double that of all cancers combined. It is the costliest health problem for our health care system. More and more scientific press releases published and reviewed by peers are unequivocal: heat waves and poor air quality increase the risk of developing or worsening an existing heart condition. Today, global warming is a silent killer. When are we going to deign to take this into account?
Global warming contributes significantly to urban pollution. The microparticles in suspension, caused by this pollution, have a very harmful effect on our arterial system and on our heart. They have been on the rise for years and are the subject of numerous symposia and numerous scientific publications. On this subject, there is no possible debate or questioning. It is unanimous: these particles are toxic for patients with heart problems.
If we add to that high blood pressure and diabetes, nearly half of the population over 65 suffers from a heart problem. Moreover, the increase in microparticles in the air during periods of smog has been clearly linked to heart attacks, sudden death and hospitalizations in patients with chronic heart and respiratory diseases. This situation makes our cities less and less habitable and is the cause of growing psychosocial stress.
As a cardiologist, I see that our clinics are full of heart patients who are anxious in their daily lives and have a markedly reduced quality of life. Now, at major international congresses, sessions on climate and health are part of every program. How come the climate is not on our governments’ health agendas? Are we up to it?
Even though I am a childless man, I want future generations to be proud of us. I want us to surpass ourselves as a society. It is often too late to prevent the devastating effects of a poor living environment combined with multiple risk factors. Our healthcare system is barely managing to keep its head above water. We must raise awareness, move and campaign for a global approach to health, and this includes the environment! This is why I invite my sisters and brothers in the health sector to join me and the Mothers at the front on May 8 in the streets of Quebec, to ask our governments to listen to science and to act.
Together, everything becomes possible!