Canadian woman first in the world to be diagnosed as suffering from 'climate change'

A Canadian woman in her 70s could be the first patient to be ever diagnosed as suffering from 'climate change' as doctors blame her health condition on the deadly heatwaves earlier this year. Dr Kyle Merritt of Kootenay Lake Hospital, who diagnosed the patient, told Times Colonist about the aggravated toll of the heatwaves on patients battling multiple health problems at once.

"All of her health problems have worsened and she's really struggling to stay hydrated. We had to figure out how to cool someone in the emergency department. People were running out to the Dollar Store to buy spray bottles," the head of the emergency department told local media.

The record-shattering heatwaves in Canada and parts of the United States were responsible for hundreds of deaths. At least 233 people died in British Columbia from the heatwaves. The emergency condition was caused by what meteorologists described as a dome of high pressure over the Northwest, worsened by human-caused climate change, which is making such extreme weather events more likely and more intense.

It was unclear what triggered the dome, but climate change looks to be a contributor, given the heatwave's duration, extremes, and the fact that it is setting new temperature highs a month earlier than the usual hottest time of year. The very high temperatures or humidity conditions posed an elevated risk of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.