Things Are Getting Worse<\/p>\n
We\u2019re experiencing a Super El Ni\u00f1o at the moment, with dramatic demonstrations every day of the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. I\u2019m deeply sad that my grandchildren may not get to enjoy the beautiful summer days I\u2019ve taken for granted all my life, days when the air was fresh and healthy\u2014not dangerously polluted with smoke and chemicals\u2014and the temperature was warm enough to enjoy a walk in nature or a swim in the lake, but not sweltering.<\/p>\n
But clean air and pleasant temperatures are not the only costs of climate change<\/a>. Half of the world\u2019s children are at extremely high risk from climate change. The threats are big and include increases in the rates of preterm birth and low birthweight; a shifting spread of diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus; disruptions to safe water access and food security; increasing child morbidity and mortality; and climate-related conflict. <\/p>\n Climate change is exacerbating local and global inequalities and resulting in intergenerational injustice. Parents everywhere are increasingly challenged to provide their children with safe housing, clean air and water, nutritious meals, healthy communities, and responsive care.<\/p>\n Climate Change Harms Children<\/p>\n Young people are deeply affected by climate change, but they\u2019re often missing when experts talk about it. Harvard\u2019s Center on the Developing Child recently published a report on kids and climate change<\/a>, in which they recommended that communications about climate change should always include children, both as present-day victims and as at risk in their development. Special attention<\/a> needs to be paid to children in marginalized groups, whose families\u2019 and communities\u2019 resources are already strained.<\/p>\n The Harvard report also recommended paying more attention to the indirect effects of climate change on children\u2019s development. These indirect effects include the fact that parents are less able to provide care, security, and stability when their homes are under threat, and that teachers, doctors, and other adults in the community are less able to provide the reliable care that children need.<\/p>\n Kids Want to Be Part of the Solution<\/p>\n We should pay attention to the ways that climate change harms children, and we should also listen to their concerns and ideas. In a recent study of the research on climate change and children\u2019s well-being<\/a>, the authors observed that \u201cfew syntheses on climate change and child well-being have engaged children or young people themselves in discussing results and recommendations.\u201d <\/p>\n Experts from the Institute for Global Health at the University of London, Yale University, and other elite institutions in England, Europe, and the U.S. established a youth advisory board to consider their findings. This board of young people had several recommendations for driving climate action while protecting children\u2019s well-being. They emphasized the importance of schools, social media<\/a>, and intergenerational dialogue.<\/p>\n Young People\u2019s Priorities for Climate Research and Action<\/p>\n The youth advisory board identified these four priorities as most urgent:<\/p>\n