An effective public health program to reduce urban heat islands in Quebec, Canada/Programa eficaz de salud publica para reducir las islas de calor urbano en Quebec, Canada

In 2005, the Government of the Province of Quebec, Canada, adopted the Climate Change Action Plan for 2006-2012. The Institut national de sante publique du Quebec (National Institute of Public Health of Quebec), charged with implementing the health adaptation component of the Plan, worked to mitigate urban heat islands (UHI) by funding and evaluating 40 pilot projects. These projects explored different methods of fighting UHls by greening cities in a participative and mobilizing approach led mainly by non-governmental organizations and municipalities. An assessment of temperatures before and after implementing various methods demonstrated that some actions enabled significant gains of coolness and more efficiently mitigated heat (reduction of concrete/asphalt surfaces, increasing vegetation, etc.). An assessment of quality of life showed that projects were positively received by users, especially by those living in vulnerable situations. A lifecycle analysis showed that from the environmental perspective, UHl mitigation measures that do not require fertilization or maintenance are preferable. Finally, communication efforts that raise awareness of UHI and mitigation are of significant importance to program success. Keywords Climate change; green areas; urban health; environment and public health; hot temperature; heat wave; Canada. En el 2005, el Gobierno de la provincia de Quebec, Canada, adopto un plan de accion sobre el cambio climatico para el periodo del 2006 al 2012. El Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica de Quebec (Institut national de sante publique du Quebec), encargado de la adaptacion del plan para proteger la salud humana, dio un paso para mitigar las islas de calor urbanas (ICU) mediante el financiamiento y la evaluacion de 40 proyectos piloto. En estos proyectos se exploraron diferentes metodos para combatir las ICU a base de aumentar las areas verdes con arreglo a un enfoque participativo y movilizador impulsado principalmente por las organizaciones no gubernamentales y los municipios. Cuando se examinaron las temperaturas antes y despues de aplicar distintos metodos, se observo que algunos habian llevado a un enfriamiento ambiental apreciable y que eran mas eficientes para aliviar el calor (reducir las superficies de concreto y asfalto, plantar vegetacion, y demas). Una evaluacion enfocada en la calidad de vida indico que los proyectos tuvieron buena acogida entre los usuarios, sobre todo los que vivian en situaciones de vulnerabilidad. Un a