摘要：For emerging public health risks such as climate change, the Canadian federal government has a mandate to provide information and resources to protect citizens' health. Research is a key component of this mandate and is essential if Canada is to moderate the health effects of a changing climate. We assessed whether federal support for climate change and health research is consistent with the risks posed. We audited projects receiving federal support between 1999 and 2009, representing an investment of Can$16 million in 105 projects. Although funding has increased in recent years, it remains inadequate, with negligible focus on vulnerable populations, limited research on adaptation, and volatility in funding allocations. A federal strategy to guide research support is overdue. The dangers of climate change are acute in Canada, where a strong climate change signal has already been detected. 1 , 2 Future climate change will be amplified, and its effects across the Canadian landmass will occur faster, sooner, and with greater magnitude than in many other nations; these effects will undoubtedly stress the public health system. 1 , 3 – 9 The federal government has a constitutional responsibility to protect the health of Canadians, and climate change has been identified as a significant challenge and priority area. 10 – 12 This responsibility includes the commissioning and funding of studies by federal departments and agencies to identify and prepare for emerging health risks such as climate change 13 – 15 (see Appendix A, available as a supplement to the online version of this article at http://www.ajph.org ). Although successive governments have been criticized for assigning climate change a low priority, to our knowledge no systematic assessment of the federal role in supporting climate change and health research has been carried out. How much is being invested? Is funding changing over time? What projects are being supported, and which departments or agencies are involved? Is research targeting vulnerable groups? And most important, is funding consistent with the risks posed? To address these questions, we assessed the extent to which the Canadian federal government has invested in research to understand, avoid, prepare for, and respond to the health effects of climate change. We conducted an audit of 105 federally funded projects commissioned between 1999 and 2009. Full details on our search strategy, analysis, included projects, and overview of results are available online in Appendixes A through F ( http://www.ajph.org ).
