NEW DELHI: New research shows that India’s 145 million children (61%) aged 0-9 are exposed to at least one additional month of dangerous heat each year, posing severe risks to their health and development.
Moreover, Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of heat waves, making them particularly hazardous for young children. Currently, about 1 in 2 children under 10 experience at least 5 months of dangerous heat annually, and this figure has doubled due to climate change.
The new research by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) reveals that climate change has doubled the number of children aged 0-9 exposed to at least 5 total months of dangerous heat stress per year, from 59 million to 118 million (50% of children).
The study, published today in Science Advances by an international team of researchers led by VUB, has analysed different warming scenarios and their impact on children.
In a world with a 1.5°C increase in temperature, 166 million children (74% of those aged 0-9) are projected to face at least one additional month of heat stress each year. Additionally, 123 million children (55%) in this age group are expected to experience a total of at least five months (150 days) of heat stress.
In the scenario of a 2°C rise in temperature, it is estimated that India’s 169 million children (96%) aged 0-9 will encounter at least one additional month of heat stress annually, while 120 million children (68%) are projected to experience five total months of heat stress.
Globally, climate change currently exposes up to 560 million children, accounting for 43% of all children in this age group, to at least one additional month of dangerous heat each year.
This exposure is significantly higher than that of any other age group and is nearly triple the 190 million individuals (30%) aged 60-69 subjected to this health threat.
As a result, children are already facing disproportionately high levels of hazardous humid heat due to human-induced climate change, with the expectation that exposure will increase with further warming.
Under projected climate change scenarios of 1.5°C and 2°C of global warming—thresholds that are highly likely to be exceeded if countries continue with current policies—the number of affected children is anticipated to rise to 620 million (49%) and 650 million (59%) aged 0-9, respectively.
This study combines population data with advanced climate models and attribution science, which identifies the role of climate change in extreme weather events. It highlights that the health risks associated with climate change are already present and are distributed unequally across generations and geographical regions.
