## SPOTLIGHT: Climate and health

The climate crisis is also a health crisis, with rising temperatures and environmental changes leading to devastating human health impacts including heat-related illness and increased mortality rates. Yet if healthcare were a country, it would be the world’s fifth-largest emitter of CO₂, accounting for over 4% of global emissions – more than the aviation or shipping sectors. To safeguard populations against the impacts of a changing climate, health systems must remain resilient to the increased disease burden and care needs created by climate change whilst improving their own environmental sustainability.

[SPOTLIGHT: CLIMATE AND HEALTH](https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_PHSSR_COP28_Booth_slideshow_Stand-alone_climate_and_health_multipager_2023.pdf)


## How does the PHSSR define health system sustainability and resilience?


### Health system sustainability

A sustainable health system improves population health by continually delivering the key functions of providing services, generating resources, financing and stewardship, incorporating principles of financial fairness, equity in access, responsiveness and efficiency of care, and does so in an environmentally sustainable manner.


### Health system resilience

A resilient health system is able to prevent, respond to, manage the health system impact of, and recover and learn from, acute and chronic crises (including, but not limited to, pandemic threats, climate change and economic and technological shocks), minimising their short- and long-term impacts on health, social and economic wellbeing.


### PHSSR research and recommendations

View the SPOTLIGHT: CLIMATE AND HEALTH infographic to learn more about:How climate change affects health systems and how health systems affect the environment.How the PHSSR is making key evidence-based recommendations for climate-focused policy making to improve health systems’ environmental sustainability and resilience.

[SPOTLIGHT: CLIMATE AND HEALTH](https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_PHSSR_COP28_Booth_slideshow_Stand-alone_climate_and_health_multipager_2023.pdf)


### 2022 Global PHSSR Summit

Watch the video to learn more about how the environmental impact of health systems can be addressed in health policy.


### Case study: Acting earlier on diseases benefits patients and the environment.

[Read more](https://shcoalition.org/environmental-impact-of-the-care-pathway-for-seasonal-influenza/)


### Case study: Quantifying a health system’s environmental impact to inform evidence-based policymaking.

[Read more](https://www.partnerschaft-zukunft-gesundheit.de/)


### Case study: Ministers of Health are committed to strengthening climate resilience and lower emissions of health systems.

[Read more](https://www.who.int/initiatives/alliance-for-transformative-action-on-climate-and-health/country-commitments)