Table 1.

Key terms used in framing risk and vulnerability of health care system to climate change.

Climate change	a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period (decades or longer)8
Vulnerability	the propensity to be adversely affected by climate-related health effects and is a function of three key elements--exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity8
Hospital Preparedness	the ability of the health care system to prepare, respond, and recover from incidents that impact the public’s health or medical community in the short and long-term108
Health System Resilience	the ability to create foresight, to recognize, to anticipate, and to defend against the changing shape of risk before adverse consequences occur.51
Medical Surge Capacity	the ability to provide adequate medical evaluation and care for an increased volume of patients during incidents that exceed the normal operating capacity109