Climate change isn’t some abstract or faraway issue. It’s happening now, and it has serious short- and long-term ramifications for our health, our children’s health, and the planet at large.
Human activities like burning fossil fuels and deforestation have led to significant ecological changes, from rising temperatures and sea levels to increasingly extreme weather patterns. According to Climate.gov, 2023 was the warmest year on record since global record-keeping began in 1850, and by a wide margin. Data shows that in Europe, Asia, and North America, last summer’s extreme heat waves shattered multiple records; they also claimed the lives of at least 147 Americans, CNN reported. And who could forget the eerie wildfire smoke from Canada that engulfed the Northeast in dangerously polluted air for days on end? Per one recent report, the average American inhaled more harmful wildfire smoke in 2023 than in any year since 2006.
If these unsettling stories are any indication, climate change also poses a threat to our health. According to a factsheet from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children are uniquely vulnerable to wildfire smoke, especially if they have an underlying respiratory illness like asthma. In fact, children under the age of 5 are expected to bear 88 percent of the global burden of disease from climate change.
The negative health effects of climate change aren’t always as obvious as, say, breathing in smoke-polluted air. More subtle shifts are occurring, too, such as the earlier onset of common childhood diseases that usually spread in the spring and summer. And while they’re subtler and unlikely to cause serious illness, these changing disease patterns are important for parents to understand.
Keep reading to learn more about how climate change is impacting kids’ health, and what parents can do to keep their children safe and healthy.
What does climate change have to do with children’s health?
Data from the National Centers for Environmental Information indicates that global temperatures have risen an average of .11 degrees Fahrenheit per decade since 1850. Although that’s a relatively small figure, it’s added up over the past 150-plus years — and created the perfect storm for dangerous weather patterns. Extreme heat, droughts, floods, and wildfires are becoming increasingly common, yet most nations don’t have the resources or infrastructure to protect people from such severe conditions.
Beyond the threat they pose to people’s lives, these weather events can be detrimental to our health in other ways. In children, they often increase the likelihood of exposure to infectious diseases or environmental toxins like mold, both of which thrive in warm environments. As AAP noted, they can cause “food and water insecurity, and increased risk for water- and food-borne illnesses.” And then there’s the mental health component: Losing your home or a loved one to a disastrous weather event can lead to depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
For kids, a common climate change-related concern is the unusual timing of seasonal childhood illnesses. Dr. Ari Brown, an Austin, Texas-based pediatrician, has witnessed this firsthand. “Pediatricians usually have their finger on the pulse when it comes to infectious diseases going around a community,” she tells SheKnows. “When we start to see an uptick in a particular virus, in our office, we know it is reflective of the community at large.”
This year, Dr. Brown began seeing an uptick in cases of hand, food, and mouth disease (HFMD) among her patients in early February, which is earlier than usual. Per the CDC, this disease is common among children younger than 5. (HFMD usually isn’t serious, but it spreads easily through close contact, so it’s very contagious.)
Coxsackievirus, the virus that causes HFMD, is typically “a spring and summer virus,” explains Dr. Brown. “It likes temperate weather.” As climate change renders our falls and winters milder, and the warm seasons even hotter, viruses that flourish in these conditions are spreading sooner than usual. This can prolong outbreaks, increasing kids’ risk of infection. It’s a widespread trend substantiated by AAP.
“This has been a mild winter,” Dr. Brown adds, “and in Austin, we have been seeing 70 degrees-plus weather… since the beginning of February. So, it’s no wonder that the germs are confused!”
This is also true of more serious insect-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. That’s because rising average temperatures “[have] expanded the range of insect disease vectors, including the tick that transmits Lyme disease,” AAP noted. Mosquitoes, which can carry the Zika virus, West Nile virus, and other pathogens, are now buzzing around for longer, too.
What can parents do to protect their children?
Unfortunately, climate change-related health concerns for kids are unlikely to go away anytime soon. This January was already the hottest on record, per Europe’s Copernicus climate organization, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the year. As the climate crisis unfolds, pediatricians remain on the lookout for new and different patterns of disease. Parents can do the same.
However, eco-anxiety is a real thing (for you and your kids). As frightening as these might trends sound, Dr. Brown cautions against full-on panic. “Our famous bluebonnets have also started blooming a few weeks early,” she says. “It’s not concerning. It’s just noteworthy.”
What parents should do is continue to instill germ-prevention best practices in their children, even outside of cold and flu season. That includes the basics: regular hand-washing, keeping your hands off your face, and not putting toys in your mouth. (If these tips all sound super obvious, it’s because they work.)
To prevent mosquito bites, encourage your kids to use insect repellent. If your kids play outside in wooded areas, educate them on tick safety, and be sure to do full-body tick checks when they come back inside. Regularly review the official tick bite-prevention guidelines from the CDC. And as always, if your child shows signs of illness, consult their pediatrician for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment options.
While it doesn’t hurt to make sustainable swaps in your daily life, it’s worth noting that the large-scale actions of global industries — not the actions of individuals — are the culprits of these widespread ecological shifts. Since climate change is a systemic issue, it requires a systemic solution.
But on an individual level, it’s still important to talk to your kids about the climate crisis. According to a recent survey of more than 10,000 children and teens from 10 countries, 59 percent said they were “very or extremely worried” about climate change.
A good place to start is listening to your children’s concerns. If they ask questions, provide them with factual information from reputable sources, such as NOAA Climate.gov or the CDC’s Climate and Health Program. Make sure they understand the scope of this issue — and once they’re old enough, encourage them to get involved with organizations or political groups that advocate for environmentally friendly policies. In the face of this crisis, it’s important to instill a sense of agency, not hopelessness.
Like parents, “pediatricians spend their careers trying to make their patients’ lives better, teaching them to make healthy choices, and advocating for those who cannot speak or vote for themselves,” adds Dr. Brown. “As such, we want them to have a bright future in a sustainable world. And I think it is probably everyone’s job to keep the world around for future generations.”
Before you go, shop these products to soothe your child’s cold symptoms:
