Supporting healthcare systems and facilities to build climate resilience
As climate pressures intensify, the impacts on healthcare are increasingly becoming operational realities. More and more healthcare leaders are not asking whether to adapt, but how – and where to start. They’re asking key questions, like: What data is needed? Which risks do we face, and which matter most? How can climate adaptation be integrated into everyday healthcare planning?
The LIFE RESYSTAL User Guide was developed to answer these questions, by presenting the project’s pioneering climate resilience framework and tools in a clear, non-technical format for healthcare decision-makers.
The User Guide is available in all five languages of the LIFE RESYSTAL project: English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Greek, ensuring wide accessibility for healthcare leaders, facility managers, policymakers, and practitioners across Europe.
What is the LIFE RESYSTAL Project User Guide?
The User Guide provides an overview of LIFE RESYSTAL – the first comprehensive European framework designed specifically to strengthen climate resilience in hospitals and health systems. It introduces the project’s objectives, tools, and results in plain language, making it easy to understand and apply, even for those new to climate adaptation.
The guide highlights practical solutions that healthcare organisations can use today to protect patients, staff, infrastructure, and essential services in a changing climate.
What you’ll find inside
You’ll discover:
- Why climate resilience is critical for healthcare
An overview of how climate change is already affecting hospitals and health services across Europe — and why preparedness is essential. - The LIFE RESYSTAL framework and objectives
How the project supports healthcare systems to anticipate, respond to, recover from, and adapt to climate-related risks. - The LIFE RESYSTAL Toolbox
A step-by-step set of modules that guide hospitals from climate risk and vulnerability assessments through to adaptation planning, cost–benefit analysis, and crisis management. - The Upscaling Adaptation Starting Package (UASP)
A ready-to-use bundle of open-access resources, including:- The Practical Guide for Building Climate-Resilient Health Systems
- Procuring for Adaptation, supporting climate-smart investment decisions
- The Community Approach Replication Guide, for building local Communities of Practice
- Real-world pilot hospital case studies
Concrete examples from hospitals in Italy, Spain, and Greece, showcasing nature-based solutions and infrastructure upgrades that reduce climate risks while improving patient and staff wellbeing. - What comes next
How LIFE RESYSTAL results continue through related initiatives like Horizon Europe’s MOUNTADAPT, and where to access project resources beyond the project’s end in 2026.
Start using the guide
The LIFE RESYSTAL Project User Guide is designed to support action – whether you’re beginning your first climate risk assessment or scaling up existing resilience efforts. Resources remain freely available through the LIFE RESYSTAL Knowledge Hub.
Explore the guide and take the next step toward climate-resilient healthcare!
English – French – Italian – Greek – Spanish