Abstract
In recent decades, climate change has been responsible for an increase in the average
temperature of the troposphere and of the oceans, with consequences on the frequency and intensity
of many extreme weather phenomena. Climate change’s effects on natural disasters can be expected
to induce a rise in humanitarian crises. In addition, it will surely impact the population’s long-term
general health, especially among the most fragile. There are foreseeable health risks that both
ambulatory care organizations and hospitals will face as global temperatures rise. These risks include
the geographic redistribution of infectious (particularly zoonotic) diseases, an increase in cardiac and
respiratory illnesses, as well as a host of other health hazards. Some of these risks have been detailed
for most developed countries as well as for some developing countries. Using these existing risk
assessments as a template, organizational innovations as well as implementation strategies should be
proposed to mitigate the disruptive effects of these health risks on emergency departments and by
extension, reduce the negative impact of climate change on the populations they serve.
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