Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) released a report that suggested global warming can be mitigated by tackling white supremacy and capitalism.
On Monday, Dr. Tam told Canadians on social media about a new report titled What We Heard: Perspectives on Climate Change and Public Health in Canada.
“Public health experts across Canada helped to inform my #CPHOReport2022 on how to prevent and reduce the health impacts of #ClimateChange,” Tam said.
“Today’s new What We Heard report summarizes their reflections. http://ow.ly/ALFE50NKUWB”
The report summarizes 21 one-on-one interviews and two focus groups with “key public health experts across Canada.”
The word “capitalism” or “capitalist” is used seven times, while iterations of “colonialism” are used thirty-one times. In fact, one of the key recommendations in the report is to “decolonize public health,” meaning, “removing or undoing the damage that colonization has done / is doing.”
Additionally, “racism” is used seven times, and White supremacy is targeted as an important step in mitigating the earth’s warming.
“Systemic drivers of negative health outcomes and climate change overlap; white supremacy, capitalism, colonialism, and racism must be addressed,” the report reads.
Overall, the group message is that “Climate change is the greatest threat we have to our collective health.”
The federally funded report was contracted by Tam’s Public Health Agency of Canada to HEC Research and Consulting.
The lead author and researcher of the report is Dr. Heather Castleden from the University of Victoria.
Aside from fighting white supremacy in the name of climate change, Dr. Tam recently told Canadians to inquire about relatives’ vaccination status when considering their Christmas family guest list.
Earlier this year, the United Nations released a report studying how to reflect sunlight away from the earth as an emergency strategy to cool down the planet.
