Adding Up the Costs of Extreme Weather
31/12/22 08:12
A heat dome and extreme wildfires dominated the headlines in the summer of 2021, but that was not the end. Atmospheric rivers brought drenching rain causing massive flooding and landslides. There was an impact on health, and many lives were lost. It's now estimated the final price tag for the damages ranges from $10.6 to $17.1 billion. That bill includes all the costs not covered by insurance and calculates wage losses suffered by workers affected by the extreme heat of late June and the impact of supply chain disruptions caused by wildfires, floods, and landslides. Read More…
The Salmon Food Chain
06/11/22 10:58
Salmon are essential to British Columbia, Washington State, and Oregon. Global warming is affecting the temperature of the North Pacific Ocean, where salmon mature. It also melts glaciers that provide the cold water salmon need to thrive in rivers. These changes can affect annual spawning runs that nurture many other animals and plants. While there's a lot of knowledge about the environmental, cultural, and economic importance of salmon, marine biologists at the University of British Columba are striving to understand the complexities of the food web in the Pacific Ocean. Life out in the North Pacific is a crucial time when salmon grow to maturity before returning to their rivers to spawn and renew the life cycle.
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Finding a Place - Online Youth Recruitment by Extremists
24/07/22 13:42
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed from public fears of a health catastrophe to public hatred of health and vaccine mandates. The global pandemic had developed into a syndemic, with the simultaneous rise of pandemic responses and right-wing extremism. Groups on the far right saw an opportunity to sow discord, engage more people, and mobilize them to action. Read More…
Measuring Climate Anxiety
29/05/22 14:36
The World Health Organization calls climate change "the single biggest health threat facing humanity." As the global temperature rises and we experience more extreme weather events, climate distress will rise, so researchers at Simon Fraser University are investigating a new way of measuring that anxiety and knowing when to alert healthcare providers. Read More…
Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole
21/05/22 09:15
Influencers in political movements have sought to sway public opinion throughout history. New social media algorithms now give them a powerful boost. What you watch is watched and analyzed, and as you watch more, you get more. Polarization increases, vitriolic attacks replace informed debate, and hate speech masquerades as free speech. Trying to continue ignoring it no longer seems a safe option. So how do you avoid becoming what you watch? The answer, for anyone seriously looking for one, may lie in being informed enough to avoid falling victim to the influencers trying to drag them down into the rabbit hole. Read More…
Making Homes Affordable Again
10/04/22 14:40
Unless the bank of mom and dad can provide financing, many first-time home buyers need almost as much time to save for a down payment as it takes to pay off a mortgage. Others remain in rental accommodation they have outgrown or grown tired of because they can't afford to move; better to hold on to what you have than pay significantly more for a different place. The housing crisis facing ordinary working people seems to have outgrown the current solutions. Instead, it's time to stop dancing around the main issue and find ways to build housing affordable for everyone. Read More…
The Magic of Psilocybin
18/03/22 06:20
Under the guidance of a trained medical professional, a patient with a terminal illness begins a journey through their mind - often called tripping - to help them understand and deal with the anxiety and depression caused by the end-of-life diagnosis. The same therapy also helps a patient with treatment-resistant depression or suffering a substance abuse disorder get past the trauma at the root of their problem. The 'trip' is from psilocybin in magic mushrooms. Researchers observe faster results, fewer doses are needed, and there is long-lasting relief. However, psilocybin remains illegal, and access to this powerful new therapy in Canada requires an exemption from the health minister. As the benefits become known, demands grow to re-classify psilocybin to allow the medical community easier access. Read More…
Keeping Roads Open to Research
08/03/22 06:20
Locked gates on logging roads on southwestern Vancouver Island prompted a citizen-scientist to ask environmental legal group Ecojustice to petition the courts for access. Dr. Royann Petrell says blocking her from reaching certain areas at critical times makes it impossible to gather necessary data. It may surprise you to learn that she and other citizen scientists play a valuable role in researching endangered species and habitats. Read More…
Housing as a Basic Human Right
28/02/22 06:20
Life on the streets is rough, and the number of homeless is rising. So is simply giving housing to unsheltered people the answer? Advocates of Housing First believe the cost of providing housing offsets costs associated with leaving unsheltered people out on the streets to cope with multiple and complex health issues. Read More…
Is Healthcare Ready for Climate Change?
21/02/22 06:20
Our health and wellbeing are explicitly linked to the health of our environments. The impact of extreme weather caused by climate change is most noticeable in the form of heat, floods, and rainstorms, but the effects on health will be felt in numerous and more subtle ways. A team of researchers at the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions began a study of health system preparedness in 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic allowed them to examine just how fragile healthcare may be when faced with the impacts of climate change. Read More…