Grant: Catalyst Grant: CPHO Report - General Pool

Globally, climate change is impacting health and wellbeing. In Canada, we have already experienced the effects of extreme temperatures, flooding, wildfires, and melting permafrost, which have been linked heart and lung conditions, poorer mental health, infections, and injuries. For example, British Columbia experienced some of the worst heat and wildfires in their history in 2021, which led to several harmful health impacts. However, the effects of climate change do not affect everyone equally. Social, economic, and other factors can compound these health risks. Among those facing compounded climate change risks are people who identify as LGBTQIA+. LGBTQIA+ people face challenges such as exclusion, bias, and stigma that can worsen climate change health risks. Unfortunately, very little research so far has included LGBTQIA+ communities. The climate change and health risks, needs, experience, and resilience of LGBTQIA+ communities is largely unknown, which is an important knowledge gap. As such, this study aims to expand on ongoing work with people self-identifying as members of the LGBTQIA+ community to explore: (1) climate change and health experiences and resilience, (2) health outcomes tied to weather events and disasters, and (3) potential pathways that affect the relationships between weather, disasters, and health in British Columbia. A mix of data collection and analysis approaches will be used to capture this information. An LGBTQIA+ advisory group will help guide, inform, interpret, and distribute this research. Our goals with this work are to report on climate change and health risks, highlight gaps in our knowledge, identify areas of resilience, promote research in this area, and share the stories of people from the LGBTQIA+ community in British Columbia.