Schools are frontline public infrastructure; central to children and youth health, community stability and emergency response. The climate crisis is already affecting school communities through:

• extreme heat
• wildfire smoke
• air quality events
• vector borne diseases
• flooding and storm disruptions
• climate related mental health impacts

Education systems need to apply valuable climate‑health intelligence from public health.

Climate Crisis Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessments

Most public health units across Canada have completed, or are completing, Climate Change Health Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) Assessments. These reports identify local climate‑related health risks and projected impacts; essential information for planning and decision making.

Availability and visibility of these assessments varies.

The V&A Process Gap

A review of Ontario’s 36 public health units found that V&A information is not is not reaching Ontario school districts.

Between February and May 2024, an outreach to Ontario’s English‑language public school districts explored whether they would consider the sharing of V&A information at their annual Community Planning and Partnerships (CPP) meetings.

Despite interest, no district proceeded for the 2023–24 school year. Barriers included:

• limited awareness of V&A assessments
• uncertainty about CPP processes
• past CPP practices that did not include climate‑health information

Recognizing the Climate Crisis as a Public Health Issue; The TPH Example

In November 2023, Toronto Public Health (TPH) approved Public Health Impacts of Climate Change in Toronto, calling for climate‑health action. This framing is not reflected in the current TPH Healthy Schools Strategy.

A delegation to the TPH Board in October urged explicit recognition of the climate crisis as a public health issue within the Healthy Schools Strategy. The final Board motion emphasized mental health and student well‑being but omitted the climate crisis, despite its growing impact on school communities.

This pattern extends beyond Toronto.

Public health units need to recognize and articulate the climate crisis as a public health issue affecting children, learning environments and school operations. Doing so will help climate‑health information be meaningfully shared with school districts.

Why This Matters

Climate crisis risks are already shaping daily school condition. Recognizing the climate crisis as a public health issue is foundational to:

• sharing V&A information
• informing school district health and wellness strategies
• preparing learning environments for climate impacts
• supporting student and staff well‑being
• strengthening community planning

A Path Forward

Effective climate adaptation requires cross‑sector collaboration. Recognizing the climate crisis as a public health issue a step toward to building the partnerships necessary to support new-age, climate ready schools.