Linking health and climate change in the GTHA

Health practitioners and health-concerned community members increasingly make the connections between climate change and health impacts; with the leadership of the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA), local public health professionals are leveraging this opportunity to grow the base of support for low-carbon solutions in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. OPHA convened a diverse health steering committee, consisting of local health organizations representing asthma, lung disease, nursing and other health constituencies, to design a communications strategy. Execution of the strategy was initiated in 2019 with the #MakeItBetter campaign. Mobilizing key health champions has helped to change the conversation by focusing on the health benefits, and the avoided health costs, of bold and urgent climate action.