The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists recently summarized a Lancet report about children, health, and climate change. The final summary: Those who are children now, will bear the most burden from the health effects of climate change.
As the bulletin notes, children are still growing and developing, including their organs (their lungs and brains are especially vulnerable to air pollution) and immune systems. Children spend more time outdoors, are more active, and breathe more air and drink more water per body weight than adults.
Climate change will cause more air pollution, which will harm children’s lung growth, school performance, put them at more risk for viral infections, cause more asthma, and more. We know that health effects of air pollution happen at levels below current standards.
Children are more vulnerable to heat waves and higher temperatures from climate change, because they are so small.
Children are more vulnerable to infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue that will be caused by changing patterns of insect transmission.
Children are dependent on adults to help them if they have to flee a climate disaster.
Children are more vulnerable to malnutrition as climate change affects crop growth.
Children are more vulnerable to depression and PTSD after a disaster, because they don’t understand what is happening as well as adults, they have less experience coping with disasters, and they feel less able to control what is happening.
We need to live up to our duty as adults, responsible for the health and well-being of children. We need to cut emissions by 7.6% per year, starting this year. We need policy and government action, and we need individual action. It’s not one or the other, it’s everything we can do, now.
https://thebulletin.org/2020/01/warning-climate-change-will-bring-major-new-health-risks-for-kids/#
