Climate Change & Children's Health: Extreme Heat - Climate Central
Climate Change & Children's Health: Extreme Heat | Climate Central
Report•June 11, 2024
Climate Change & Children's Health: Extreme Heat
Download fact sheet: Climate Change & Children's Health: Extreme Heat
TOP TAKEAWAYS
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Extreme heat is the
deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S. Children — especially babies, younger kids, and athletes — are among those most vulnerable to heat-related illness.
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Average temperatures and extreme heat events have increased across the U.S. — and will
continue rising without drastic cuts to heat-trapping carbon pollution.
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Without effective measures to adapt to a warming world, children will experience worse health impacts, including a potential increase in heat-related emergency department visits.
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Parents and caregivers can protect children’s health, now and in the future, by reducing exposure to dangerous heat at home, at school, and during outdoor activities.
Related Climate Matters: Extreme Heat Risks for Children
Related Knowledge Center: Climate science
What began as a theory in the 1890s — that industrial emissions of carbon dioxide could increase global temperatures — had progressed to a scientific fact a century later. Scientists across a range of disciplines are studying the impact of the still-growing concentration of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere as they call for industrial and governmental policies to slow, then halt, the warming of the planet.