BURST
If your health has been impacted by catastrophic flooding, wildfires or intense heat and drought, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control wants to hear about it.
British Columbians can now share personal stories about how climate change is impacting their health and well-being on ecolens.ca , a new website launched by the B.C. CDC.
Ecolens.ca allows people to share insights into how climate change is affecting their lives through writing, art and photos, according to a news release Thursday.
Officials say the information will help scientists and health professionals better understand climate change impacts and inform the development of adaptive strategies.
“There is a lot of data showing that climate change is affecting people’s health. We can see it from medication use, calls to emergency services, and visits to health care providers,” said Dr. Angela Yao, senior scientist in environmental health at the B.C. CDC, in a statement.
“But we are missing the personal stories — what people have experienced, how they’ve been impacted, and how their experiences shape the way they feel.”
Visitors to the Ecolens website can also view stories from other people.
“We’ve heard, especially from young people, that climate change can cause anxiety and grief, but it also gives them a reason to come together as a community,” said Yao. “Ecolens offers a space to share and relate with other people. Through storytelling and connection, we hope to foster community, empathy and resilience.”
The Ecolens website was developed with funding from the Ministry of Health.
“We all want to live in a healthy, climate-resilient, sustainable province,” said Mary Cameron, director of climate resilience at B.C.’s Health Ministry.
B.C. CDC officials say they have been collecting submissions from health partners and university students over the past few months and have already published more than 40 stories.
Early submissions include reflections about the 2021 heat dome, 2023 Kelowna wildfires, and other accounts of climate-related events.
B.C. health officials have said that climate change poses significant health risks, including problems that arise from extreme heat, wildfire smoke, flooding and drought.
The news comes as B.C. plans to expand LNG development , despite some health officials arguing that fossil fuel production is contributing to a health crisis.
Dr. Melissa Lem, president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment says LNG is not clean energy and harms people’s health. She said while the association welcomes investments in clean electricity, funding for LNG is “a dangerous step backward.”