Climate Resilience for Better Health: A Co-Designed Community Initiative

Background: In Summer 2023, Canada experienced one of the worst wildfire seasons in the nation's recorded history resulting in dangerous air quality. Each summer since 2023, communities have faced the challenge of worsened air quality and extreme heat; a reality that is especially challenging for individuals exposed to the elements, living with respiratory illness, or in homes without air conditioning (> 500,000 Toronto residents).

 

Approach: The West Toronto Ontario Health Team (WTOHT) facilitated a community co-design event in partnership with Humber College to improve population health through climate resilience. Over one weekend, community members contributed more than 1,000 hours while working in teams to develop and pitch their ideas. One of the community interventions implemented by the WTOHT was distributing Climate Resilience Kits, which consist of an air purifier, a snake plant, and window treatment to reduce in-home temperatures. The WTOHT worked across the health and social care sector to connect high-risk community members to this intervention.

 

Results: Climate Resilience Kits were distributed to over 300 households reaching over 1,000 individuals in West Toronto. Recipients reported reductions in in-home temperature as high as 10⁰C and a near 100% recommendation rate for the kit. Primary care providers reported the Climate Resilience Kit being most relevant for older adults at risk of heat stroke, individuals living without air conditioning, and individuals managing a respiratory illness.

 

Implications: Strengthening community resilience in the face of the climate crisis is essential for any health system looking to prioritise prevention and community-based care. Equitable health outcomes, in particular, are threatened by the climate crisis as evidenced by the disproportionate health burden carried locally by low-income and unhoused residents. As a next step, West Toronto residents expect to see interventions co-created with community members to address food insecurity, the connected mental health effects of the climate crisis, and to curb the health system's carbon emissions and waste creation.