Public Health Response to a Climate Emergency: A Teaching Exercise

Public health emergencies often involve weather-related issues, such as flooding, heatwaves, wildfires, storms, and vector-borne or water-borne diseases. Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and intense owing to climate change. Preventive medicine physicians and other public health professionals are uniquely qualified to serve in leadership or advisory roles during the actual emergencies or preparedness for the climate-related emergencies. Many residency programs are now integrating climate education into their curriculum, but few include simulated exercises. The authors present a climate-exacerbated scenario, discussion questions, and consideration for next steps in educating public health leaders and other collaborators.