Climate change glossary for public health practice: from vulnerability to climate justice

Climate change is an emerging and growing field of practice for the international public health community. As practitioners, researchers and policy-makers grapple with the local health impacts of climate change, there is an increasing need to clarify key terminology to support public health actors engage and respond in ways that promote intersectoral collaboration. This contribution introduces the public health discourse on climate change, with a particular focus on its implications for health equity. After defining key terms and existing adaptation practices, climate justice and assets-oriented inquiry into the intersectional determinants of health are discussed as future opportunities for addressing health equity in climate and health-related research and practice.