The climate crisis poses an “existential risk” to the health and wellbeing of all children and action to tackle it is needed immediately, Britain’s most senior paediatrician has said.
In a major intervention, Dr Camilla Kingdon, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said every adolescent was at grave risk from the physical and mental effects of the climate crisis. Healthcare professionals were already seeing its impact first-hand, she added.
Air pollution, extreme weather and unprecedented energy costs were having a very real and detrimental effect on millions of children, she said. But as a country we have our “heads in the sand” when it comes to the climate crisis.
Kingdon attacked what she described as the rolling back of net zero policies by Rishi Sunak and said the country’s most vulnerable children would be left bearing the greatest burden as a result.
Rising temperatures around the world as a result of the climate crisis are having a devastating effect on foetuses, babies and children, multiple studies have found.
Scientists have determined the climate emergency is causing – among other adverse outcomes – an increased risk of premature birth and hospitalisation of young children as well as weight gain in babies. Research shows pollution can stunt children’s lung growth, cause asthma and affect blood pressure, cognitive abilities and mental health.
“Climate change is no longer tomorrow’s problem, it’s today’s,” Kingdon said. “Healthcare professionals across the UK are already seeing its impact first-hand.”
In the UK, air pollution was the largest environmental risk to public health, she added. “Children breathe faster, so they inhale more airborne toxins in proportion to their weight than adults exposed to the same amount of air pollution. As such, they are especially vulnerable to air pollution, which can lead to asthma in childhood, and lifelong health issues.”
The damage inflicted on children by the climate crisis was not limited to physical ill health, Kingdon said. “The mental health effects of climate change on children are significant and may be long lasting.
“Children exhibit high levels of concern over climate change and the mental health consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, phobias, sleep disorders, attachment disorders and substance abuse, can lead to problems with learning, behaviour, and academic performance.”
Kingdon said as a result of glaring health inequalities in the UK, some children were suffering the ill-effects more than most. “Climate change poses an existential risk to the health and wellbeing of all children. However, the current impacts of climate change are not experienced equally.”
Low-income households had less choice in where they live, were more likely to live in deprived areas and were therefore more exposed to extreme weather events and poorer air quality, she added.
The climate crisis is leading to more damp and cold properties as a result of increases in winter precipitation in the UK. For low-income households, homes may be too expensive to heat to an adequate temperature, increasing their exposure to cold and mould.
Kingdon said: “Every child is at grave risk of the effects of our changing climate, but none more so than children in lower-income families. These children are facing an increased mortality risk from extreme weather events, exacerbated respiratory conditions from dirty air and even increased rates of cancer, diabetes and obesity.
“It is wholly unjust that these vulnerable children should bear the greatest burden in terms of climate change, especially in the context of a government that is rolling back on its net zero policies.”
The RCPCH wants Sunak to appoint a cabinet minister for children and to prioritise child health in policymaking on the climate crisis.
“We cannot continue on like this as a country, with our heads in the sand,” Kingdon said. “There is no such thing as the ‘right time’ economically to tackle climate change, and indeed the cost of not reaching net zero is far greater. We must act now and with our children in mind.
“As an organisation, we continue to call on political leaders to take action on poverty and health inequalities while also emphasising the unequal impact of climate change.”
Thousands of paediatricians in the UK are being given new resources by the RCPCH to support children affected by the climate crisis. They include template letters of support on behalf of families who need improvement to housing for their health condition.
Kingdon said: “Paediatricians are dedicated to improving child health equity, and this toolkit will support us to help families – but this is not a fight we can win without government action.”
