Abstract:

On both local and global scales, the expectation of climate change-related adverse impacts and changing human vulnerabilities presents a new challenge for the public health sector’s adaptation. Our aim is to present "transfrontier" learning as one of the effective case- and place-specific options towards adapting to climate change consequences.
Human societies and nature have always adjusted to climate variability and extreme weather events, but climate change is moving climate conditions outside the range of past human experiences. Although climate change will create advantages for some regions and subpopulations, it will adversely affect ecosystems, water resources, energy, transportation, population health, public security, and other sectors. Like other parts of the world, the province of Quebec (Canada) has not been spared by negative impacts related to these recent climate change conditions. For Quebecer public health professionals, climate change is a significant threat in learning to adapt to its negative effects on human health. These range from the direct effects of average warming and urban heat islands, ozone air pollution, wildfires, summer/winter storms, and UV exposures to the indirect effects resulting from changes in water supply or in vector-borne diseases. In particular, climate change affects mental and physical health trough modifications in the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme meteorological events. While the frequency of extreme cold events is expected to decrease, heat waves are increasing. Depending on the effectiveness and extent of adaptation options, heat-related morbidity and mortality could increase over coming decades. Another set of major impacts is related to warmer air temperatures and higher atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, increasing pollen production and lengthening the pollen season.
Faced with such major and varied effects, preparedness is crucial in public health. Two key messages are here highlighted: (1) a "transfrontier" vision of ecoLearning and knowledge transfer/translation is needed. We cannot satisfy ourselves with sectorial approaches in helping societies to adapt to climate change because of the complex interactions between these climatic changes and non-climatic factors such as demographics, economics, land use, and technology; (2) a sustained effort to educate actors from various sectors (health professionals and decision-makers; the public sector; the private sector; non-governmental organizations) and to inform the adult population, especially the younger generations, is crucial to promote a behavioural change.

Keywords:

Individual and collective competencies, competencies' network, professional education, learning, ecoLearning, adaptation, climate change, impacts, public health.