On April 12^th, UNBC faculty and students and Northern Health employees came together to discuss resources and tools, processes for collaboration and partnerships, and research projects relevant to climate and health priorities within northern British Columbia.  One of the central themes underlying this gathering was that of co-benefits: a transformative idea that focuses on “opportunities to prioritize policy, actions, and interventions that achieve multiple benefits (for ecosystems, for equity, for the earth’s diverse inhabitants) and pay attention to the kinds of processes required to do so” (Parkes, 2020).

While the day unfolded, Dr. Theresa Healy, Shona Thorne and Melissa Bates (MSc Candidate) – with the help of others – created a live graphic recording to artistically capture prominent themes, ideas, and quotes mentioned by participants. The morning began with a welcome to Lheidli T’enneh territory from Elder Mary Auger. Highlighting the importance of taking care of our environment and of each other, Elder Auger underscored the benefits of coming together across cultures, knowledges, and disciplines to strive for a healthier future. She then concluded her remarks by bringing forward the importance of engaging in climate and health work for future generations and the value that youth bring to promoting thriving and sustainable communities.

Following the territorial welcome, we listened to stories from Indigenous scholars to ground ourselves and acknowledge the wholistic importance of place; profiled two Northern Health-related presentations about climate change adaptation, mitigation, and co-benefits in relation to public health and boundary-crossing efforts; learned about climate models and their importance in predicting future climate scenarios; and engaged in a panel discussion that was guided by the following questions, (a) how does your climate-related work connect with health and well-being? and (b) what areas are you interested/planning to explore that connect climate and health?

The day concluded with the participants gathering in a circle to debrief (it was an intellectually inspiring and equally taxing day!); unpack any emotions and points of curiosity; and discuss potential pathways and points of synergy moving forward.

References

Parkes, M. W. (2020). Working together for WHOLE systems: approaching well-being and health while oriented to living systems and equity. In Animals, Health, and Society (pp. 71-94). CRC Press.