VANCOUVER -- A new report suggests that by meeting its climate change targets, Canada could save 100,000 lives and create more than one million jobs over the next few decades.
In an interview with CTV Morning Live Wednesday, Robin Edger with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) said the report lays out a roadmap where the government could invest in renewable energy, sustainable transport, homes and health care, and meet its climate targets.
The federal government is spending at a level not seen since the Second World War to help get the country out of the economic "doldrums" caused by the pandemic, Edger said. And his group hopes to see the government take action on climate change to help in that recovery.
"The choices that they make in these investments are going to determine whether or not we can transition to a sustainable economy," he said.
During the pandemic, many countries have seen a reduction in air pollution because people weren't leaving their homes. If Canada were to meet its climate targets, the report found 112,081 lives in Canada could be saved between 2030 and 2050 from improvements to air quality alone.
"Of course, we can't expect everyone's going to stay at home into the future," Edger said. "So our report lays out a roadmap for how we can have those sustained air quality improvements while getting our lives going again."
The report made 25 recommendations for federal stimulus spending that would help Canada meets its 2030 and 2050 emission reduction targets.
It also found 1.3 million "clean" full-time jobs could be created if Canada hits its climate targets.
"We're talking getting where the puck is going rather than were it's been," Edger said. He added many industries have been hit hard during the pandemic, but the fossil fuel industry has been "decimated."
"It was important to us to make recommendations to the federal government to invest in job training programs that allow former fossil fuel workers to transition their very flexible skills into spaces like renewable energy," he said.
The World Health Organization has called climate change the greatest threat to global health. CAPE doctors noted increases in extreme weather events, Lyme disease, heat stroke and cardiorespiratory issues are all ways climate change has already harmed Canadians' health.
Edger believes the climate targets are achievable if there is enough determination.
"We're already on the right path. We're just on the wrong speed," he said.
To watch the full interview, click on the video at the top of this story.
