Climate justice, mobility justice, and health inequities among racialized communities in Canada: a scoping review.

backgroundEmerging evidence suggests that climate and mobility injustices disproportionately expose racialized and immigrant communities to substantial health challenges. Yet research on this issue remains limited in Canada, where these populations are rapidly growing and where such injustices are increasingly prevalent. This scoping review maps the existing literature at the intersection of climate justice, mobility justice, and health inequalities among racialized communities in Canada. Specifically, the review examines the intersections of climate justice, mobility justice, and health equity among racialized and immigrant populations in Canada to inform future research agendas.

methodsWe conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed literature published up to March 2025 using multiple bibliographic databases, including Medline, Embase, and Scopus, among other interdisciplinary sources with a combination of key search terms. Eligible studies were those based in Canada that examined climate-related health impacts on racialized populations and addressed at least one justice or mobility dimension. Data were extracted into Excel and synthesized thematically.

resultsA total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. The majority of this research centered on Indigenous communities in northern and remote regions, with limited attention to Black populations and non-Indigenous immigrant groups. Reported health outcomes included food and water insecurity, infectious diseases, respiratory illnesses, mental health challenges, and injury risk. Climate hazards studied ranged from wildfires and flooding to permafrost thaw and extreme heat. Only a small number of studies incorporated disaggregated race-based data or considered mobility justice. While 14 studies employed conceptual frameworks, many did not include explicit justice-oriented analyses or integrate mobility dimensions.

conclusionsThis review maps the emerging evidence on the intersection of climate justice, mobility justice, and health inequities in Canada, while providing critical insights for future research and interventions to promote mobility justice and health equity in the context of climate change. The findings suggest that although Indigenous-focused research has generated important insights, substantial gaps remain regarding non-Indigenous racialized populations and the explicit integration of mobility justice frameworks. REGISTRATION: No protocol was registered for this scoping review.