Global warming is having repercussions that we can all see on our immediate environment and living conditions. What is less obvious is the often insidious impact on human health. Among the most vulnerable victims are newborn babies, with a recent study highlighting a significant increase in the risk of premature delivery linked to worsening climatic conditions.
A new study by a team of Australian scientists, which reviewed 163 health studies from around the world, paints an extremely worrying picture of how children's health measures have already worsened as a result of climate change, which shows no sign of abating any time soon. Researchers have revealed that the risk of premature birth increases by an average of 60 % as a function of climatic conditions. These conditions include more frequent and intense heat waves, but also increases in airborne particles and allergens due to climatic phenomena such as forest fires, droughts and irregular seasons. The impact on respiratory diseases and perinatal outcomes is therefore considerable.
Direct links between climate change and children's health
Corey Bradshaw, a global ecologist from Flinders University in Australia, fears that climate change could lead to lifelong complications for millions of children around the world. "We have analyzed the data to show how certain types of future weather events will exacerbate particular medical problems in the population," he explains. "We identified many direct links between climate change and children's health, the strongest being a 60 % increased risk on average of premature birth due to exposure to extreme temperatures.
In 39 of the articles reviewed by Bradshaw and colleagues, temperature changes were shown to affect perinatal outcomes. Preterm birth was reported in 29 of these studies, making it the most common outcome associated with exposure to extreme temperatures or increased ambient temperatures. But other studies also reported effects such as low birth weight, changes in gestational age, premature rupture of membranes and even pregnancy loss. Extreme heat, in particular, is a significant stress factor for pregnant women, potentially leading to complications such as preeclampsia, which is a risk factor for premature delivery.
While extreme temperatures had the greatest impact on children's health, 16 of the 20 studies investigating the impact of air pollutants found that they had at least some effect on children's health outcomes. Air pollution has a significant impact observed by researchers not only on babies' low birth weight, but also on newborn respiratory illnesses. For example, at least seven different studies have reported that rising concentrations of airborne particles are linked to increased respiratory disease in children, but also to an increased risk of premature birth due to in utero exposure to harmful particles. This exposure can cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the mother, affecting fetal development and potentially leading to premature delivery. Scientists observed that this phenomenon coincided with an increase in the number of children presenting to hospital emergency departments with respiratory problems. Four of these studies focused specifically on forest fire smoke pollution, which we now inhale more often than ever before.
Climate influences childhood illnesses
"The children's health problems we identified depend on extreme weather conditions: extreme cold causes respiratory illness, while drought and extreme precipitation can lead to stunted growth for a population," the authors write. "Given that climate influences childhood illness, social and financial costs will continue to rise as climate change progresses, putting increasing pressure on families and health services."
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An aggravating feature highlighted by the researchers is that low- and middle-income countries are under-represented in the research. This gloomy picture could therefore be an underestimate of the seriousness of the situation, as most of the studies analyzed were conducted in high-income countries, where children are better protected against the worst effects of climate change.
Low- and middle-income countries face a double whammy when it comes to global warming and premature births. These regions, already facing significant health and economic challenges, are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change for a number of reasons. Firstly, the less-developed healthcare infrastructure in these countries makes it difficult to provide adequate prenatal care and manage premature deliveries. Secondly, the increased frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves and floods, exacerbates health risks for pregnant women and their babies. Finally, air pollution, often higher in the densely populated urban areas of these countries, also contributes to the higher rate of premature births.
According to the researchers, the main factors protecting children from the threat to their health posed by climate change are economic stability and strength, access to quality healthcare, adequate infrastructure and food security. "Climate change is universal and negatively affects all countries and populations, and we need to prepare societies to deal with the growing threats to children's health," says Lewis Weeda, MD, of the University of Western Australia.
The authors of the study call for an urgent integration of these findings into global public health policies. This includes strengthening health systems to better respond to the challenges posed by climate change, as well as sustained efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures. "Developing public health policies to tackle these climate-related diseases, alongside efforts to reduce anthropogenic climate change, must be considered if we are to protect the children of today and tomorrow."
This research was published in Science of the Total Environment.
