The observatory informs about the risks of climate change for children and youth

Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change because their bodies and immune systems are still developing (Anderko et al., 2020). For example, extreme heat can have more severe effects on young people because their bodies do not regulate temperature as efficiently as adults (Vanos et al., 2017). Therefore, they are more at risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke during hot weather. In addition, poorly ventilated and overcrowded classrooms worsen the conditions in which young people have to concentrate and perform (Salthammer et al., 2016). Already during pregnancy, stress can have a negative impact on the health and development of the infant and can lead to premature birth, low birth weight and impairment of cognitive, behavioral and motor development (King et al., 2012). (More on climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu)