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Typically when the news outlets issue alerts about extreme temperatures or weather-related events, they urge us to check on the elderly. Rarely do we see any alerts about babies and young children.
This is ironic because babies and young children are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change more than any other population, and those effects have lifelong consequences. We need to pay more attention to how climate change affects babies.
Let’s take a look at how the effects of climate change are putting our tiniest citizens in danger. A working paper from the Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment reiterates that record-setting temperatures are occurring and lasting longer than ever before and have a huge impact on babies, beginning in utero.
According to this paper, babies whose mothers were exposed to prolonged high heat during pregnancy have an increased risk of being born prematurely, having low birth weight and experiencing learning loss during school.
Babies and young children are more susceptible to heat because their tiny bodies heat up more quickly and they are less likely to release the heat through sweating. They also are not able to manage their own thirst or move to a cooler location on their own.
The immature systems that regulate babies’ body temperature are less efficient than that of adults, so babies and young children may not even know when they feel overheated.
The increase in carbon dioxide and methane in our environment have caused over 1 billion children to be exposed to ongoing high levels of air pollution, which is another aspect of climate change that affects children disproportionately. Have you ever noticed how a baby tends to take quick shallow breaths?
Because their lungs are smaller, and their airways are more narrow, they are much more susceptible to the pollutants in the air as they breathe more air relative to their body weight. According to the Cleveland Clinic, children are being diagnosed with asthma more than ever — it affects more than 7.5 million children in the U.S. and it is the leading cause of chronic illness in children.
Children also suffer more from being displaced due to extreme weather events. It is a common misconception to believe that this only happens in third-world countries. Over 900,000 Americans, many of them children, were displaced due to weather-related disasters in 2020 and 7.4 million children were exposed to lung-damaging wildfires in America between 2008 and 2012. The number of children exposed to wildfires is only going to grow.
The list of climate-related hazards to children goes on and on, and unfortunately the impacts of climate change are felt greatest by children in marginalized communities and certain racial and ethnic groups.
So, how do we protect our most vulnerable little Americans? It begins with awareness. Parents and caregivers need to know that their baby may feel hotter than adults might feel on a warm day, and it is important to dress the baby accordingly. Think light layers, sunhats and shade. Babies are going to need more fluids more frequently when they are overheated. Their skin needs to be covered and protected from the sun at all times.
Before taking babies outside, parents should check the air quality index at AirNow.gov. Outdoor play is wonderful for child development, but it is important to be aware of the times of day that might be higher risk for taking children outside or even opening windows. The AirNow App, the official air quality app from the Environmental Protection Agency, is a great tool that even offers information on forest fires. Most weather apps also provide information on the UV index, which is another good idea to consult when planning outdoor activities.
Obviously we need sweeping changes at the policy level, so in the spirit of Earth Day, consider reaching out to some of your local officials and make sure they know just how much climate change is impacting the most vulnerable little inhabitants of planet Earth.
Aimee Ketchum is a pediatric occupational therapist, owner of Aimee’s Babies and assistant professor of early child development at Cedar Crest College.
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