Preface
This learning hub was compiled for the use of students, teachers, academics, and engaged advocates wanting to take action in the face of climate change and ecosystem disruption. The goal of this work is to outline the realities of climate change in rural Canada, specifically in reference to health and healthcare delivery, but also, and arguably more importantly, we hope to inject a sense of optimism and a way forward into the discourse. We have highlighted the contributions of a number of rural physicians and medical students because we believe the medical profession has an important contribution to make in responding to the threats of climate change and ecosystem disruption. There are actions we all can, and eventually will, take to adapt to the challenges we face and enhance the resilience of rural communities to whatever comes next. We have interwoven a collection of fiction, scholarly work, and video interviews, as an interactive learning hub that that we hope will engage students in multiple ways. We are committed to supporting this learning hub as an evolving resource that is receptive to readers and viewers, including opportunities for readers to submit comments, reflections, suggestions as well as additions to the work. This living-document will be updated and amended frequently. In addition, this material will always be open source. The goals of the work are not profit driven. From the outset we have prioritized making our material engaging, accessible, and free to everyone. The learning hub consists of three key elements: (1) the Frontlines narrative, (2) the scholarly work, (3) and contributor’s video perspectives. Each of these elements is described below:
This work of fiction, inspired by the authors’ experiences living rurally in BC, follows the story of Carmen, a grade 12 student, and George, a middle aged physician, living in a small fictional northern BC community called Cedar Grove. As each chapter progresses, the reader learns of Carmen’s struggles to come to terms with the impact of climate change on her community and George’s experiences supporting local medical services. Together Carmen and George provide two perspectives on key elements of community resilience including youth advocacy, collective behaviour change, food security, climate education, and rural health provision. Each section of the Frontlines addresses the theme of its accompanying chapter and is intended to reify the chapter’s scholarly work. The goal of the Frontlines is to provide an interesting, engaging, and tension producing work of fiction that evokes in the reader an understanding of what it might be like to live with the challenges of climate change in a small rural community. We encourage readers to picture themselves in Carmen or George’s shoes – how do you think you would respond to these challenges? Do you agree with the characters choices? How could you apply the lessons learned from the Frontlines to your own contexts?
Hear from Salina Edwards, one of the authors of the Frontlines, explaining the importance of the work and the inspiration behind the character of Carmen
Hear from Dr. Stefan Grzybowski, co-author of the Frontlines, discussing the inspiration to include a fictional narrative.
The traditional scholarly work of the chapter follows after the Frontlines narrative. The first three chapters of this evidence-supported text seek to describe the impacts of climate change on the rural landscape. The remainder of the book explores strategies and the associated rationales for how we might move forward. The material includes real-world case studies, as well as key recommendations and action steps, related to the subject matter of each chapter. The aim of this element of our learning hub is to bring validity to our arguments and to inspire the reader from multiple perspectives.
As you read through the scholarly work you will come across short video contributions from passionate and engaged individuals who share their perspectives on topics addressed in the chapters. We have included a collection of videos from 15 different people including scholars, academics, rural family physicians, medical students, Indigenous educators, and youth. We encourage you to watch the videos and reflect on their stories, experiences, and recommendations. The goal of these videos is to enhance the messaging of the scholarship by grounding the reader in the perspectives of some of the contributors who are actively engaged in pro-environmental and sustainability discourse and learn about the initiatives they are a part of. Readers can find out more about each contributor on the Contributors page and access a full playlist of their video contributions. The final chapter of the book, The Pathway Forward, includes a video compendium of each contributor responding to the question “How would you like to see your community in 10-15 years in the face of climate change and ecosystem disruption”. The optimism, passion, and dedication that our contributors demonstrate through their work will hopefully inspire readers to engage in climate adaptation and resilience in their own ways.
