A recent article by researchers at Columbia University that is published in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights how fossil fuels impact children’s health.
They note that fossil fuels create both air pollution AND greenhouse gases that are warming the climate, and that children are especially vulnerable to both of these, at all stages of childhood and even before they are born.
Most importantly, even though climate change and air pollution affect all children, the biggest burden falls on socially and economically disadvantaged children. (Most social and economic disadvantage happens because of our country’s environmental and structural racism that steer benefits towards some groups and harms towards other groups.)
Here is what air pollution from fossil fuels is doing to children’s health:
Increased infant mortality. Infants are at increased risk of death from air pollution.
Adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight or premature birth.
Higher rates of asthma, and more asthma attacks in children with asthma.
Developmental disorders, autism, cognitive problems, and mental health problems.
(Not mentioned in the article but something that we know from other studies are increased risk of viral illnesses such as RSV and influenza (flu).)
Here are some of the climate change-caused health problems that affect children, and remember that these health problems are not evenly spread among children:
Extreme heat, and heatwaves (climate-intensified extreme heat events which are heat waves made worse by climate change). Heat increases the risk of low birthweight and preterm birth, infant death, heat illness, kidney disease and other illnesses. Heatwaves also cause increased deaths in infants, and evacuations where children suffer more. We know that because of redlining and other discriminatory practices, black neighborhoods are hotter in the summer than white neighborhoods.
Air Pollution: 10 years ago, over 7 million children were exposed to wildfire smoke every year, this number is much higher now due to there being more wildfires covering more acres recently.
Food and Water: Climate change is already causing food shortages in some areas, and increased prices in others. Large parts of the western US are experiencing a major drought, and floods and storms sometimes lead to contaminated wells.
Infections: the US is having an increase in Lyme disease, and this is affecting children the most.
The researchers also state that we have to do 2 things: rapidly reduce fossil fuel use to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases (mitigation), and adaptation efforts such as more shaded areas for play or school, improved water access and quality, early warning for floods and storms, training about evacuations so it is not so chaotic if/when it happens.
And most importantly, to address environmental justice, we need to address these issues first in black and brown communities that are most exposed to air pollution now, and have been denied economic access and access to resources because of our country’s racism.
Read a summary of the article from Columbia University here.
Read the scientific article in the NEJM here.
07/22/2022
