Climate change is now widely considered to pose one of the most significant threats to global health in the twenty-first century [1]. All aspects of human health are affected by climate change, increasing the risk of deaths, noncommunicable diseases, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and health emergencies [2]. There are also a wide range of indirect effects caused by changes in air quality, food and water security, and biodiversity [3]. These risks are only expected to increase with further warming of the climate [4] and are an increasing area of interest in climate epidemiology.

In addition to individual health outcomes, climate change is expected to place enormous strains on global health systems with more frequent and severe climate and weather events, impacting the robustness and reliability of healthcare services [5]. Climate change is already a threat to the health infrastructure and most healthcare systems are not prepared to handle an increase of climate-sensitive health risks. Among other things, climate hazards have the potential to increase the demand for emergency health and ambulatory services, as well as emergency admission and hospitalization. Healthcare infrastructure can be physically damaged during major climate hazards that can disrupt access to medical services [6]. Furthermore, potential impacts on healthcare workers may also prevent them from accessing their workplaces. This highlights the importance of strengthening healthcare systems to make them resilient enough to withstand the effects of climate change [6].