Study of the effects of climate change on children
A child at a climate demonstration in Juneau, Alaska
Children are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than adults. The World Health Organization estimated that 88% of the existing global burden of disease caused by climate change affects children under five years of age.[1] A Lancet review on health and climate change lists children as the worst-affected category by climate change.[2] Children under 14 are 44 percent more likely to die from environmental factors,[3] and those in urban areas are disproportionately impacted by lower air quality and overcrowding.[4]
Children are physically more vulnerable to climate change in all its forms.[5] Climate change affects the physical health of children and their well-being. Prevailing inequalities, between and within countries, determine how climate change impacts children.[6] Children often have no voice in terms of global responses to climate change.[5]
People living in low-income countries experience a higher burden of disease and are less capable of coping with climate change-related threats.[7] Nearly every child in the world is at risk from climate change and pollution, while almost half are at extreme risk.[8]