? Earth Day: April 22nd

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” wrote Benjamin Franklin in the late 18th century. In today’s context, unless there are drastic reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, “global warming” seems equally certain. Past and present human activity – burning fossil fuels – has already warmed the planet; the science is unequivocal. The rate and extent of future warming depends on how vigorously we, as individuals and governments, cut our emissions and transition to greener energy alternatives.

While Canada is ranked the 12th largest global emitter of GHGs, some sources rank us second in terms of per capita emissions.

What can we do personally to make a difference? We can consider every day to be Earth Day in the choices we make. We can wholeheartedly commit to one or several of these actions:

• Walk, bike or take public transit to work at least twice a week
• Plan a local holiday rather than one requiring extensive transportation
• Practice mindful consumption – factor in the carbon footprint of the food and products you choose to buy
• Make three dinners each week that are entirely plant-based
• Reduce the amount of single-use plastics at home and work
• Work towards a greening your healthcare workplace (Green Office Toolkit)
• Adopt planetary health strategies in your clinical practice by, for example, reducing unnecessary tests and prescriptions (Climate Action in Healthcare) (Choosing Wisely Canada)
• Get involved and learn from doctor organizations that view planetary health as being inextricably linked to human health (CAPE)
• Author your own individual commitments, aimed at reducing your carbon emissions

Earth Day needs to be every day!