The growing impacts of anthropogenic climate change on human displacement and child health are vast, and the need for immediate collaborative action and policy change to reduce carbon emissions is imperative.
Climate-related disasters and extreme weather events are already disrupting livelihoods, economies, population health, and human rights, creating large-scale migration and displacement crises with serious consequences for children.
Displacement and migration, both within and across national borders, have significant physical and mental health effects on children, who are particularly vulnerable due to their developmental immaturity and dependence on others for safety and resources. Although they bear little responsibility for the climate crisis, children face some of its most severe consequences, raising concerns about social and intergenerational injustice.
In this paper, the role of pediatric health care providers in caring for displaced children and advocating for those most at risk is emphasized.
It offers a global perspective on climate change, including how its impacts reflect and reinforce colonial legacies, and provides practical action steps for clinicians in the United States and for those advocating for children’s health worldwide.
Learn more about this paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2021.101029
Reference
Uddin, R., Philipsborn, R., Smith, D., Mutic, A., & Thompson, L. M. (2021). A global child health perspective on climate change, migration and human rights. Climate Change and Children, 51(6), 101029