This summer has been a season of environmental disasters. Heatwaves are Roasting the United States of America, Europe, and ChinaNorth AfricaSN: 7/19/23Wildfires are raging across Canada and Greece. Choking Canadian fires smokeHas obscured skies across the United StatesSN: 7/12/23).
It is bad for everyone, but it’s especially bad for children. The United Nations Children’s Fund calls climate change a child rights crisis. The organization estimates that 1 billion children worldwide – nearly half of all children – are at extremely high risk of the effects of climate change. The health of these kids is at risk, now and for the rest of their lives.
Children’s ongoing development from the fetal period through adolescence is one reason that they are particularly vulnerable to health harms from climate-related effects on the environment, says environmental health scientist Frederica Perera of Columbia University. She founded the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental HealthIn 1998. Science News talked with Perera about climate change and children’s health and well-being, the disparities in terms of who is at highest risk and why these early harms endanger health throughout life. This interview has been edited to make it more concise and clear.
SN: How does climate change’s effects on the environment, such as heat waves and wildfire smoke, affect children’s health?
PereraWe need to consider the fetal stage, as well as childhood, adolescence and infancy, when we talk about the effects of air pollution and climate change on children. This is because the brain, and other systems, are still developing during these periods.
There’s a multitude of health risks. Severe Preterm births are linked to heat, and it’s causing heat-related deaths and illnesses in infants and children. Also, children are susceptible. Severe weather events can cause severe suffering: they’re suffering physical injury and also psychological trauma. Longer Pollen season due to climate changeAre causing allergy and asthma. Asthma attacks can be caused by Increased from inhaling forest fire smoke. There’s the issue of food insecurity and Stunted growth caused by droughtInfectious diseases are prevalent in some parts of the world. Infectious diseases [spread by insects and other vectors are]Increased as The range of ticks and insects has been extendedTheir range.
SNWhat are the physiological reasons why children are more at risk from climate change than adults?
Perera: First, there’s the very rapid and complex developmental programming during the fetal period, infancy and childhood, which is vulnerable to disruption by toxic pollutants, climate-related shocks and stressors. A second point is that infants and children don’t have the same fully functioning biologic defense mechanisms that operate in adults to protect them against toxic exposures.
[In terms of heat,]Children are less able to do certain things. How to control your core body temperature when there is a severe heat wave. We adults are responsible for providing hydration to the young and caring for them when they show early signs of heat-related illness.
Children are more susceptible to smoke and air pollution from forest fires due to their increased exposure. Children often spend a lot of time outdoors. [Children have a larger lung surface area and so]Breathe more air [per kilogram of]Body weight [than adults]. [Children’s noses are less efficient at filtering inhaled]If you have more particles, then the proportion will be higher. It penetrates deep into the lungs. Their narrow airways make them more susceptible to inflammation and the resulting constriction.
SN: How does climate change affect children’s mental health?
PereraClimate change affects mental health directly and indirectly. Children who have experienced severe storms, floods, and wildfires are more likely to show symptoms of depression. Increased rates of depression symptoms and post-traumatic disorder.
But even if children haven’t directly experienced such a disaster, they’re being affected by climate anxiety. In a study that included 10 countries more than 50% [of teens and young people]Saying that Feeling very anxious or extremely concernedThis anxiety had a negative impact on their daily life.
SNWhat are the disparities in which children face the greatest risks from climate change-related environmental effects?
PereraAll children are vulnerable but some are more so than others. It is true everywhere [in terms of low-income countries compared with high-income countries]In the United States as well, communities of color and low-income communities have suffered. Exposure to air pollution is higher for those with disproportionately lower incomeAs well as extreme heat and weather events. Take the United States as an example. Polluting sources such as major highways, depots for buses and trucks, industrial plants and electricity plants are disproportionately situated in or near communities of color. Discriminatory policy like Urban heat islands are a result of redlining..
In the United States, we see that poverty and racism combined with disproportionate exposure contribute to disparities in disease rates. The U.S. Asthma prevalenceYou can also find out more about the following: infant mortalityBlack children have double the rate of death as white children. The rates of black children are twice as high as those seen in white children. Preterm birth rates are 50 percent higher [among Black women compared with white women].
SN: What does this early harm to health have on children’s future?
PereraWe are aware that these early damages and harms have lasting effects. Respiratory problems often persist. Children with severe or persistent respiratory conditions are at risk. The risk of developing persistent asthma is increasedPermanent air flow obstruction, chronic obstructive disease. Reduced Air pollution affects the brain’s cognitive functionYou can also Malnutrition in pregnancy or early lifeStress and trauma from shocks of climate change and other adverse events that are caused by the changes in the weather can affect the ability to work and contribute to the society. Stress and trauma are caused by the shocks and adverse events of climate change. Mental health can be affected by experiences at a young agesThroughout life, you can learn new things.
When we consider the health impacts of climate change and air pollutants, it is important to think about their long-term consequences. If we then look at policies and interventions to eliminate the fossil fuel emissions, there are enormous health and economic benefits. The children will be the biggest beneficiaries.
