Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change

The health of the planet and that of people are inextricably linked. As the environment deteriorates, human health is directly and indirectly impacted by the increased prevalence and severity of existing and emerging diseases.More specifically, climate change is one of the major challenges we have t...

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Main Author: Sandrine Bouttier-Stref
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institut Veolia Environnement 2025-01-01
Series:Field Actions Science Reports
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/7793
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author Sandrine Bouttier-Stref
author_facet Sandrine Bouttier-Stref
author_sort Sandrine Bouttier-Stref
collection DOAJ
description The health of the planet and that of people are inextricably linked. As the environment deteriorates, human health is directly and indirectly impacted by the increased prevalence and severity of existing and emerging diseases.More specifically, climate change is one of the major challenges we have to address in order to safeguard future health as well as to ensure continuity of care and the effectiveness of health systems.Health systems suffer direct impacts from climate change and face four distinct challenges.1. Becoming resilient: heath infrastructures are impacted by the effects of climate change, such as the need to cool premises during heatwaves, disruptions to energy supplies, and securing logistics chains.2. Preparing for the exacerbation of chronic diseases that will lead to an overload of the health system.3. Identifying faster and more effective treatments for patients affected by the effects of climate change.4. Finding a way to embed prevention into patient pathways.Equally, health systems must cut their environmental impacts, particularly their greenhouse gas emissions: they are responsible for around 5% of total global emissions, equivalent to the world’s fifth largest emitting country.It makes for a complex equation. All stakeholder groups, each with a specific role to play, must be involved in designing and adopting solutions while also accelerating the implementation of “carbon neutral” health systems that are equitable and prioritize patient well-being.
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spelling doaj-art-971477afe72042e7994853f702eb28c42025-01-30T11:24:38ZengInstitut Veolia EnvironnementField Actions Science Reports1867-139X1867-85212025-01-01279499Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate changeSandrine Bouttier-StrefThe health of the planet and that of people are inextricably linked. As the environment deteriorates, human health is directly and indirectly impacted by the increased prevalence and severity of existing and emerging diseases.More specifically, climate change is one of the major challenges we have to address in order to safeguard future health as well as to ensure continuity of care and the effectiveness of health systems.Health systems suffer direct impacts from climate change and face four distinct challenges.1. Becoming resilient: heath infrastructures are impacted by the effects of climate change, such as the need to cool premises during heatwaves, disruptions to energy supplies, and securing logistics chains.2. Preparing for the exacerbation of chronic diseases that will lead to an overload of the health system.3. Identifying faster and more effective treatments for patients affected by the effects of climate change.4. Finding a way to embed prevention into patient pathways.Equally, health systems must cut their environmental impacts, particularly their greenhouse gas emissions: they are responsible for around 5% of total global emissions, equivalent to the world’s fifth largest emitting country.It makes for a complex equation. All stakeholder groups, each with a specific role to play, must be involved in designing and adopting solutions while also accelerating the implementation of “carbon neutral” health systems that are equitable and prioritize patient well-being.https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/7793
spellingShingle Sandrine Bouttier-Stref
Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
Field Actions Science Reports
title Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
title_full Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
title_fullStr Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
title_full_unstemmed Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
title_short Ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
title_sort ensuring the resilience of health systems in the face of the effects of climate change
url https://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/7793
work_keys_str_mv AT sandrinebouttierstref ensuringtheresilienceofhealthsystemsinthefaceoftheeffectsofclimatechange