(Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Corner - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is. — Greta Thunberg, Swedish activist

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Children are uniquely vulnerable to climate change.

In many parts of the world, people are facing multiple climate-related events such as severe drought, flooding, air pollution and water shortages … leaving children especially vulnerable to malnutrition and disease. Almost every child on earth is exposed to at least one of these climate and environmental hazards. Without action, the impacts will continue to grow.

Children are often more vulnerable than the general population to the health impacts of climate change because their bodies are developing physically, which can make them more vulnerable to climate-related hazards like heat and poor air quality. They also breathe at a faster rate, which increases their exposure to dangerous air pollutants. And children tend to spend more time outdoors than adults, increasing their exposure to heat and cold, rain and snow, outdoor allergens, and insect bites.

Climate change has the potential to increase outdoor air pollutants, including dust from droughts, wildfire smoke, and ground-level ozone, which are associated with increases in asthma and other respiratory conditions in children. Climate change also increases pollen levels and prolongs the allergy season. In extreme heat, children are more prone to heat stroke that can cause organ and brain damage.

As the climate continues to change, extreme heat events are expected to last longer and become more frequent and intense. Increases in average and extreme temperatures are expected to lead to more heat illnesses and deaths among vulnerable groups including children.

Young athletes are at particular risk of heat stroke and other heat illnesses. Approximately 9,000 U.S. high school athletes are treated for heat-related illnesses each year. Children who live in homes without air conditioning are especially at risk. Young children and infants are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and death, as their bodies are less able to adapt to heat.

Heavy rainfall has been linked to occurrences of gastrointestinal illnesses in U.S. children. Runoff from more frequent and intense rains, flooding, and coastal storms can introduce more pollutants and disease-carrying organisms into bodies of water where children swim and play or that communities use as drinking water supplies

Because children spend a lot of time outdoors, they are vulnerable to insect and tick bites that can cause illnesses like West Nile virus and Lyme disease. Climate change is expanding the habitat ranges and length of time when insects and ticks are common.

And all this is just a sliver of the immediate health concerns for children that come with climate change. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that climate change has become a health emergency, and children are especially vulnerable because they metabolize their air intake more quickly while still in critical stages of development. Their concerns include dermatologic, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases. They breathe more air, eat more food, and drink more water relative to their body size, making them more susceptible to pollution, heat, and disease.

Our younger citizens may also experience mental health impacts from major storms, fires, and other extreme events that are expected to increase because of a changing climate. Anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, phobias, and post-traumatic stress may affect children who go through a natural disaster or extreme weather event. Children’s ability to cope with these events depends on many factors, including their living situation and support systems.

Climate change has impacts on health worldwide; nearly every child around the globe is at risk from at least one climate hazard. Given the frequent co-occurrence of various extreme weather episodes, their interactions and cumulative environmental impacts are an additional growing concern. All children are at risk, but children of color and those from low-income households are more at risk of the health effects of climate change and air pollution, due to poor health-care access and food insecurity.

And as the crisis worsens, our children face growing threats: less access to clean water and healthy food, more illness, and more extreme weather disasters. Since 2022, extreme weather has forced over 400 million students worldwide out of school. Even when classrooms stay open, disasters disrupt learning, displace families, and put children at risk. Climate change is already reshaping childhood.

If you stay silent and passive in this climate fight your life might be easier, but your children’s lives won’t be.

Until next time, be kind to your Mother Earth.

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Linda Eve Seth SLP, M Ed., is a mother, grandmother, concerned citizen and member of Mid-Ohio Valley Climate Action.