Vancouver | Unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-waututh) Nations | December 10, 2024 — In response to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s release of Canada’s 10 most impactful weather stories of 2024, Dr. Melissa Lem, family physician and CAPE President, said:

“Looking back on extreme weather events of the past year paints a stark picture of the escalating health crisis caused by climate change. Worsening wildfires, heat waves, floods, and other extreme events threaten the lives of people across Canada. As a physician, I’m witnessing firsthand the devastating health impacts of these unnatural disasters, which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable among us.

“The science is clear: these increasingly frequent and severe weather events are driven by our continued burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas. While we can’t prevent all extreme weather, we can stop it from worsening if we act now to rapidly reduce our fossil fuel emissions and transition to clean energy solutions. It’s time for our government to step up, protect our health and safety, hold big polluters accountable, end fossil fuel advertising that stokes demand, and lead a just transition away from fossil fuels to safeguard the well-being of all people in Canada and future generations.”

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For more information, contact:
Reykia Fick, CAPE Communications Director, 647-762-9168, media@cape.ca