What Parents Need to Know about Climate Change and Children’s Health

Excessive heat. Emerging diseases. Catastrophic storms and off-season illnesses. The environmental hazards associated with climate change threaten the physical and mental health of children and families — and can be a source of anxiety.

It's not just speculation. Communities are already impacted by such climate change effects as increased asthma hospitalizations due to earlier pollen season, an uptick in disease-carrying insects like ticks and mosquitoes, and algal blooms.

“When we talk with parents about what's good for their kids, part of our job is connecting the dots between our changing climate and their children's health,” said Dr. Samantha Adhoot, a pediatrician. “All children need exercise, nutritious food and sleep to be healthy. But climate change poses new challenges for our patients every day, from struggling to breathe due to wildfires and air pollution to a lack of access to fresh fruit and vegetables or a safe space to play. So when we talk about the need to heal the planet, we are also talking about improving our children’s ability to grow up in a safe, healthy world.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has long recognized the impact of climate change on children, is recommending steps not only for communities and policy makers, but for families. As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, here are a few suggestions:

• Help your community adopt climate solutions. The AAP recommends moving toward clean, renewable energy like wind, solar and geothermal. Join forces with a local group to help bring clean energy to your school, town, state or even country. The AAP also recommends that communities have healthy transportation systems, including public transit and walkable, bikeable pathways. Families can get involved at the local level to help create safe routes to walk and bike where you live.
• Let kids know that their voices and advocacy can be powerful. Kids may be inspired to know that some of our most effective and powerful climate advocates today are children and youth. Support their engagement in local, state and national climate solutions.
• Reduce your own energy consumption and waste. Walking, biking, taking public transit, carpooling, supporting sustainable food systems and adopting a more plant-forward diet are all ways to help protect the planet.
• Show them you care. Let kids know that their adult caregivers—parents and pediatricians included—are committed to climate action solutions that protect their health and their world.

“What is healthy for the planet is also healthy for children,” Dr. Adhoot said. “Pediatricians and parents share the same goal—to protect children's health today, and to ensure that kids can grow into healthy, thriving adulthood. Your family’s pediatrician can help answer questions about the right amount of nutrition, exercise, sleep and play your child needs, as well as where to find community resources.”

More information is available at Climate Change & Children’s Health: AAP Policy Explained - HealthyChildren.org.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.