Between November 12 and 20, 2025, a group of Canadian physicians and health advocates took the global stage at COP30, the United Nations climate summit, determined to hammer home a message they say can no longer be ignored: the climate crisis is, at its core, a health crisis. Their campaign, led by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), was marked by packed panel discussions, eye-catching protests, and a series of urgent appeals to policymakers and the public alike.
"Fossil fuels harm the health of Canadians at every stage of the life cycle and at every part of industry: from extraction to transportation to use to disposal," said Dr. Samantha Green, who was officially named CAPE President on November 22. According to The National Observer, Dr. Green and her colleagues pointed to a litany of health threats: increased heat-related illness, respiratory diseases caused by wildfire smoke, the spread of Lyme disease, and even pediatric cancers and other rare illnesses linked to liquefied natural gas (LNG) extraction in northern British Columbia.
The numbers are staggering. As Nola Poirier, a CAPE ally, emphasized during the summit, more than seven million people die each year from air pollution. "The lungs of the planet are literally in policymakers’ hands," Poirier said, a sentiment echoed by many in the delegation as they staged creative demonstrations with inflatable lungs and banners calling for the removal of fossil fuel lobbyists from the conference.
The presence of more than 1,600 fossil fuel industry lobbyists at COP30 did not go unnoticed. CAPE’s team, partners, and supporters held signs reading "Kick Big Polluters Out" and staged a photo-op in front of a giant sculpture of a corporate executive with a globe on fire for a head. Their message to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was blunt: "Kick out the suits." As Dr. Joe Vipond put it in a widely shared opinion piece for The National Observer, it’s time for leaders to "stop playing on words and stop putting people’s health at risk."
But while health professionals were making noise on the climate front, another crisis was quietly unfolding back home. On December 5, 2025, Canada officially lost the measles elimination status it had held since 1998. According to The Conversation, this loss is a stark warning sign that vaccine-preventable diseases are once again threatening public health in the country. Experts say that to regain that status, Canada must ensure that researchers who speak publicly about vaccine safety are protected and heard.
Yet, the voices of those very experts are increasingly being drowned out—not by scientific debate, but by targeted online harassment. A recent study cited by The Conversation found that a staggering 94% of 35 prominent Canadian health communicators experienced online abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. This harassment, which includes everything from doxxing and reputation attacks to threats and sexualized messaging, has become a major deterrent for researchers and scientists considering public engagement.
The problem is not limited to vaccines. Topics like climate change, gender diversity, and immigration have all triggered online backlash. However, vaccination remains one of the most politicized and volatile issues. The interconnectedness of Canadian and American information ecosystems only exacerbates the problem. As The Conversation reports, Canadians on social media are often more exposed to American accounts than Canadian ones, and anti-science harassment targeting US researchers frequently spills over into Canadian online spaces—especially when senior American officials publicly question immunization and evidence-based health recommendations.
Faced with relentless harassment, many Canadian health experts are withdrawing from public communication altogether. Some have stopped giving media interviews or posting on social media about controversial topics. While this might shield them from further abuse, it comes at a heavy cost: a dramatic reduction in the public’s access to reliable, science-based information. As the authors from the University of British Columbia warn, "Public engagement is not only a key part of research grants but it also ensures that people benefit directly from research."
Currently, most targeted researchers are left to fend for themselves, relying on coping strategies like deleting social media accounts, withdrawing from public dialogue, or simply accepting abuse as an inevitable part of their work. According to The Conversation, these individual measures may provide temporary relief, but they ultimately reinforce self-censorship and leave dangerous information gaps—gaps that can quickly be filled by conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Some Canadian institutions, such as the University of British Columbia, have begun offering cybersecurity assistance and mental health support to affected researchers. However, as faculty and staff there have pointed out, navigating these supports can be daunting and confusing. What’s needed, experts argue, is a comprehensive, "wraparound" approach that acknowledges both the agency of researchers and the responsibility of institutions to protect them. This would shift the burden from individuals to the organizations they serve, ensuring that scientists and health experts can engage with the public without fear for their safety or professional standing.
It’s a timely call to action, especially as Canada faces mounting public health challenges on multiple fronts. As The Conversation notes, Canada cannot prepare for future emergencies—such as another pandemic—without safeguarding the safety and freedom of the experts who are essential to its response. The stakes, as many at COP30 pointed out, are too high to ignore.
Back at the climate summit, CAPE’s physicians continued to press their case. Dr. Mili Roy, Dr. Courtney Howard, and Dr. Melissa Lem joined panels with experts from the World Health Organization and the BC Parks Foundation, highlighting the need for nature-based solutions to protect health. Meanwhile, Dr. Courtney Howard, Dr. Joe Vipond, Leah Temper, Gillian Adynski, and Gustavo Cort warned that if fossil fuel expansion continues unchecked, Canada’s health systems could be stretched past their breaking point. The impacts, they said, would extend far beyond direct illness, manifesting as burned-out nurses, strained frontline workers, and destabilized care across entire communities.
Following COP30, on December 4, CAPE leaders sat down to debrief, share insights, and chart a course for future action. The urgency of their mission has only grown, especially as Canada rolls back environmental policies under the banner of "energy security." For CAPE and its allies, this makes the implementation of the Belém Health Action Plan more critical than ever. They argue that protecting people’s health from the escalating consequences of climate change and extreme weather requires bold, coordinated action—now.
As the year draws to a close, the message from Canada’s health experts is clear: whether the threat comes from a warming planet, a resurgent virus, or an online mob, the health of Canadians depends on both scientific courage and institutional support. The time to act, they insist, is now—before the next crisis hits.
