Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense in Quebec, as they are elsewhere in the world, due to climate change.
To better understand this phenomenon and find ideas for adapting to this new reality, the first Global School on Heat Adaptation is taking place this week at the Montreal Heart Institute.
This initiative brings together 20 Master’s and doctoral students from 10 countries to exchange views with renowned experts from North America, Asia, and Australia. The goal is to better understand the complex impacts of extreme heat on health and identify avenues for adaptation.
Various themes will be addressed, including the physiological effects of heat, public adaptation policies, and environmental inequalities.
However, it is the teaching methods that make this school unique. The focus is on experiential learning and active, interdisciplinary teaching techniques. For example, students will also have the opportunity to be exposed to scorching conditions in a climate chamber that can reach temperatures of up to 70 degrees Celsius.
Daniel Gagnon, a researcher at the ÉPIC Centre of the Montreal Heart Institute, associate professor of kinesiology at the Université de Montréal, and the instigator of this project, is delighted that the program has been well received internationally.
He believes this school has the potential to address the growing challenges posed by extreme heat, “one of the deadliest climate risks, yet one that is still poorly understood,” he said in a press release.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
