Despite this, few countries have assessed the scale of the impact or have a plan to deal with it, said researchers at a special session at the European Emergency Medicine Congress.

Luis Garcia Castrillo, a professor in emergency medicine at the Hospital Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain, described how he and colleagues had asked 42 focus groups in 36 countries to complete a survey on climate change awareness and preparedness.

“On a scale of zero to 9, they rated the severity of the impact of climate change on health systems and specifically on emergency care, both now and in the future, at an average of 7,” Castrillo said. “This is a high figure, especially as some regions, such as northern Europe, consider it to be less of a problem than do other countries, such as Australia.