Request for Applications for Primary Research Projects - RFA 023 Preparing the Health Sector for the Health Impacts of Climate Change
Eligibility
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Deadline for applications: September 7, 2005
(must be date-stamped by courier no later than September 6,
2005).
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$1.5 million has been set aside in this competition.
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Maximum funds per project: $350,000. Contribution
funding will not exceed 30 months.
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Applications for pilot, demonstration, implementation
or evaluation projects will not be accepted.
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Applications whose focus is a single setting
or organization, or whose primary audience is clinical managers,
will not be accepted.
Objective
The HPRP is seeking to enhance the evidence base to inform the
development of policies and approaches for adapting to the potential
impacts of climate change.
The specific objectives are to improve our understanding
of:
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the capacity of the health sector to adapt
to the health impacts of climate change;
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adaptation options and decision making tools
to reduce population health risks associated with climate change;
and
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approaches for working with partners outside
the health sector to reduce risks.
Background
Scientists, governments and international bodies have recognized
that the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will
change the global climate, and will affect the environment and
human health and well-being (Health Canada, 2001). The world is
responding to climate change by trying to reduce the emissions
of man-made greenhouse gases. But these mitigation measures will
not halt climate change, only slow it down and (perhaps) reduce
its severity in the future. The amount of greenhouse gases already
in the air, the long lifetime of these gases (some remain chemically
active in the atmosphere for a century or more), and the thermal
inertia of the global climate system ensure that our planet will
continue to grow warmer for many decades to come (WHO, 2003).
There is concrete evidence that climate change will impact health
and well-being. Heat waves and cold snaps, extreme weather events,
floods and forest fires, vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, increased
air pollution and allergen levels are some of the influences on
health that can be exacerbated under new climatic scenarios and
which are known to impact the health of individuals and of specific
population groups (Riedel, 2004). While the state of knowledge
of human-environment interactions is still in its infancy, we have
enough evidence of the potential health risks associated with a
range of climatic events to begin examining how individuals, populations
and institutions cope with them and why some people are more vulnerable
than others.
We have no choice, then, but to adapt to climate change. Adapting
means making adjustments that can help to avoid the most severe
impacts of climate change, position us to exploit its opportunities,
and prepare us to cope better with its unavoidable consequences
(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001).
Research Gaps
Key policy questions need to be addressed as an integral part
of the climate change and health decision making process undertaken
by governments and stakeholders.
Primary research is needed on:
- identifying the current capacity of the health sector (at the
municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal levels) to adapt
to health issues related to climate change and options for increasing
this capacity as needed;
- the application of tools, methods and approaches for identifying
population health impacts related to climate change (e.g., geographical
information systems mapping);
- the identification of existing public health models and frameworks,
or the development of new ones, for prioritizing and evaluating
potential adaptation strategies;
- the development and implementation of adaptation strategies
within the health sector to reduce the population health risks
from climate change; and
- how public health decision makers have engaged decision makers
in other sectors (e.g., transportation, agriculture, industry,
and infrastructure) to collaboratively identify adaptation options
that will address health risks associated with climate change.
How to Apply
Applicants must:
- get in touch with the policy contact to discuss policy issues
and context of potential application(s). The policy contact is:
Peter Berry, A/Manager, Climate Change and Health Office, Health
Canada (tel. (613) 941-3637, email: peter_berry@hc-sc.gc.ca).
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get in touch with the HPRP administrative contact in order
to register and obtain an application form. The administrative
contact is: Gail McQuaid-Bohemier, Senior Program Officer,
HPRP, Health Canada (tel. (613) 946-3163, email: gail_mcquaid-bohemier@hc-sc.gc.ca).
Contact Gail to discuss program eligibility/ineligibility,
administrative questions about time frames and budgets, application
formatting and content, the review process, and terms and condition
of the HPRP.
- consult the Web Guide to research
project funding.
- submit an original and five (5) copies of the application to
Gail McQuaid-Bohemier by September 7, 2005 (must be date-stamped
by courier no later than September 6, 2005).
References
Health Canada. (2001). Climate
Change & Health & Wellbeing:
A Policy Primer (PDF version). Ottawa: Minister of Public Works
and Government Services Canada. Retrieved May 9, 2005.
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. (2001). Human Health.
In J.J. McCarthy, O.F. Canziani, N.A. Leary, D.J. Dokken, K.S.
White (Eds.), Climate Change 2001: Working Group II: Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability (pp. 451-486). Cambridge and New
York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved May 6, 2005.
Riedel, Dieter. (2004). Human Health and Well-Being. In D.S. Lemmen & F.J.
Warren (Eds.), Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation: A Canadian
Perspective (pp. 151-169). Ottawa: Natural Resources Canada.
Retrieved May 6, 2005.
World Health Organization. (2003). Climate Change and Human Health:
Risks and Responses. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
Retrieved May 6, 2005.
Bibliography
Ahmad, Q.K. et al. (2001). Summary for Policymakers. In J.J. McCarthy,
O.F. Canziani, N.A. Leary, D.J. Dokken, K.S. White (Eds.), Climate
Change 2001: Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (pp.
1-18). Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved
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Bruce, James P., Ian Burton, I.D. Mark Egener, John Thelen. (No
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of the Potential Municipal Impacts And Adaptation Measures Envisioned
As a Result of Climate Change (PDF version). Prepared for the
National Secretariat on Climate Change Municipalities Table. Ottawa:
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Burton, I. (1997). Vulnerability and adaptive response in the
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Furgal, C.M., Gosselin, P. and Martin, D. (2002). Climate change
and health in Nunavik and Labrador: What we know from science and
Inuit knowledge. Prepared for the Climate Change Action Fund. Ottawa:
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Institute of Population Health. (2002).
Expert Panel Workshop
on Climate Change and Health & Well-being in Canada: Key Findings
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Reddy, S.D. (2000). Factors influencing the incorporation of hazard mitigation
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Riedlinger, D. (2001). Responding
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Smit, B., Pilifosova, O., Burton I., Challenger B., Huq S., Klein
R.J.T. and Yohe, G. (2001). Adaptation
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