Global climate change and public health will serve as a general introduction to the field of climate change and health.  the topics explored in this edited volume will be presented in three categories:  (1) climate change impacts on health, both direct (through extreme weather) and indirect (through ecosystem change), (2) key vulnerabilities that enhance climate effects on health (sociodemographic risk factors, place-based vulnerabilities including urban impacts, emergent risks of multiple system interactions), and (3) strategies for mitigation and adaptation including assessment strategies, enhancing surveillance for climate-sensitive diseases, communicating on climate, and greening healthcare.    in addition to presenting a comprehensive treatment of the public health and clinical perspective on the topic, the reader will be exposed to core concepts in climate change science, presented as supplemental text boxes, that will serve as a reference on  climate literacy. 1.      introduction:  the state of climate science II. Impacts:  the epidemiologic evidence: direct effects, indirect effects, and threats on human welfare and security 2.      thermal extremes 3.