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After the deadly heat wave in British Columbia in June, Human Rights Watch called for better resources to help high-risk groups.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized the Canadian authorities for “insufficient” support for seniors and people with disabilities who were severely affected by the summer heatwave. Killed hundreds of people In the west of British Columbia (BC).
in a report The rights group released on Tuesday called on the federal and British Columbia governments to prepare for the disadvantaged and provide better resources before the next climate disaster.
Human Rights Watch also urges Canadian authorities to stop subsidies fossil fuel To help prevent “the most catastrophic climate outcome.”
The rights group stated that when the province experienced record temperatures in late June, B.C. did not develop a high temperature action plan, and “lack of cooling and targeted support for high-risk groups, resulting in unnecessary suffering and Possible death”.
serious Temperature rise Related to the “thermal dome”, this is a weather system with heat absorption and high pressure. According to government data, it caused 569 deaths and the temperature reached 49.6 degrees Celsius (121.2 degrees Fahrenheit)-a national record.
The Human Rights Watch report is based on remote interviews with 31 people who described the challenges and adverse health effects encountered in their efforts to cope with record high temperatures.
Emina Cerimovic, Senior Disability Rights Researcher at HRW, said: “The disabled and the elderly are at high risk of high temperature stress, but they have to deal with the dangerous high temperature alone.”
“Before the disaster happens again, Canadian authorities need to listen and provide better support for the disabled and the elderly.”
The report points out that some local communities have set up cooling centers, but that many people cannot enter without enough traffic.
Human Rights Watch also lashed out at the province’s health services, saying they did not activate the emergency system before the heat began to ease.
The report read: “Some people say that her 88-year-old aunt died in the hot dome on June 28 in a wheelchair and was unable to dial 911.”
The rights group stated that Canadian authorities have an obligation to ensure equal rights for persons with disabilities, calling for “reduction of emissions and helping people adapt to the current and projected impacts of climate change.”
The report states: “Canada’s federal and provincial governments must take action to prevent the foreseeable negative impact of climate change on rights, including protecting those who are most at risk of negative health effects, such as the elderly and the disabled.”
Regular experience in British Columbia Heat waves and wildfiresHowever, scientists say that climate change has made fire seasons longer and more intense in Canada and the United States, and the temperature on the West Coast this year has also reached a record high.
The province told Human Rights Watch that it is “in the process of developing a strategy to respond to extreme heat and wildfire smoke from 2022 to 2025,” the rights group said.
BC officials have warned residents to take precautions before extreme heat, urging them to look for air-conditioned places, stay hydrated, and limit physical activity.
In late July, as Environment Canada issued another high temperature warning for the province, the Minister of Health Adrian Dix (Adrian Dix) also stated that “health authorities and British Columbia’s Emergency Health Services Those who need help”.
“British Columbians must also make any necessary preparations in advance and take measures to ensure the safety of themselves and their loved ones,” Dix said in a statement. statement At that time.
But Human Rights Watch called on Canadian authorities to take “emergency measures.”
The report stated that social isolation and poverty increased people’s risks during the heat wave, and cited interviewees as saying that they have no support system and no one checks them in an emergency.
“I don’t remember what I did for a few days, I just lay on the floor and couldn’t get up,” a 38-year-old disabled woman living alone told Human Rights Watch.
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