Scientists warn against alarming rise in pre-term births due to climate change - WION
Scientists warn against alarming rise in pre-term births due to climate change - Science News
Scientists warn against alarming rise in pre-term births due to climate change
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While temperature extremes were found to be the top factor associated with the deteriorating health of babies, 16 out of 20 studies on air pollutants found that air pollution led to an increase in children with respiratory issues.
The extreme temperatures due to global warming have led to an alarming 60 per cent average rise in the risk of pre-term births, a review of 163 global health studies by an Australian team of scientists has found.
The findings depict a concerning deterioration in such health measures.
At present, 600 million people live in regions where temperatures go above the ideal temperature for humanity's existence. This number could go up to 3 billion people by the end of the century, according to climate change forecasts.
The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, found that rise in airborne particles and allergens due to climate events like wildfires, droughts, and erratic seasons also significantly impact respiratory disease and perinatal outcomes.
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Corey Bradshaw, a global ecologist from Flinders University in Australia pointed out that the climate change could cause lifelong health complications for millions of children around the world.
"We have crunched the data to show how certain types of future weather events will worsen particular medical issues in the population," he said in an official statement.
"We identified many direct links between climate change and child health, the strongest of which was a 60 percent increased risk on average of preterm birth from exposure to temperature extremes."
Other health complications linked with climate change
Other effects include low birth weight, gestational age changes, premature membrane rupture, and pregnancy loss.
While temperature extremes were found to be the top factor associated with the deteriorating health of babies, 16 out of 20 studies on air pollutants found that air pollution led to an increase in children with respiratory issues.
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"The children's health issues we identified depend on weather extremes – cold extremes give rise to respiratory diseases, while drought and extreme rainfall can result in stunted growth for a population," the authors of the study wrote.
"Given that climate influences childhood disease, social and financial costs will continue to rise as climate change progresses, placing increasing pressure on families and health services."
Researchers said that key protective factors against climate change threats to children's health include economic stability, access to quality healthcare, adequate infrastructure, and food security.
(With inputs from agencies)
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.