https://www.cna-aiic.ca/fr/blogs/ic-contenu/2019/06/05/a-loccasion-de-la-journee-mondiale-de-lenvironneme
Ottawa, June 5, 2019 – Across Canada and around the world, people are marking World Environment Day. The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) has long been advocating and raising awareness about the negative health impacts of climate change. Today, we are reminding everyone that it is our collective responsibility to protect our planet and mitigate the effects of climate change.
CNA, together with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) and the Urban Public Health Network (UPHN), called on all federal political parties earlier this year to take action on climate change by implementing solutions that would reduce negative health impacts. Together, we asked the political parties to recognize climate change as the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century.
Along with our CAPE and CPHA colleagues, we will be meeting with the federal health minister this Friday to ask her and the government to implement meaningful strategies that protect Canadians’ health from climate change.
“Important steps have been taken by the government. However, CNA believes more must be done if we are to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change,” says Mike Villeneuve, chief executive officer of CNA.
“CNA is also calling on the federal government to implement strategies that: prevent and reduce the negative effects of climate change; increase health research and public education; and provide stable long-term funding to the health sector that addresses the effects of climate change,” said Villeneuve.
CNA believes that nurses have a role to play in environmental health and climate change policy. That is why today, in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE), we will be launching our ecoliteracy survey.
“The survey has several aims, including identifying nurses’ awareness, level of education, use of teaching resources with patients/clients regarding environmental health, and their perception of the impact of the health-care system on surrounding ecosystems,” said Villeneuve.
We should all use World Environment Day as a reminder that climate change is an issue that must be addressed and that it is everyone’s responsibility to do their part and take action.
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About the Canadian Nurses Association
The Canadian Nurses Association is the national and global professional voice of Canadian nursing, representing 140,000 nurses in all 13 jurisdictions across Canada. CNA advances the practice and profession of nursing to improve health outcomes and strengthen Canada’s publicly funded, not-for-profit health system.
For more information, please contact:
Eve Johnston
Media and Communications Coordinator
Canadian Nurses Association
Tel: 613-237-2159, ext. 114
Cell: 613-237-3520
Email: ejohnston@cna-aiic.ca
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