- The health risks that climate catastrophes pose to expectant mothers, newborns, and children.
- Deadly illnesses like cholera, malaria, and dengue are spreading more widely due to the global heat wave.
- The Call-to-Action outlines seven immediate steps that must be taken to mitigate these risks.
The health risks that climate catastrophes pose to expectant mothers, newborns, and children have been brought to the attention of the UN in a Call for Action.
According to the paper “Protecting maternal, newborn, and Child Health from the impacts of Climate Change,” there has been a lack of attention, underreporting, and underestimation of the effects of climate events on these populations.
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The appeal draws attention to the fact that few nations have included maternal or child health in their plans for responding to climate change, underscoring the lack of focus on these needs in the discourse on climate change.
Pregnant women, infants, and children are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change on their health and survival. Devastating climate disasters including wildfires, floods, heat waves, and droughts have been occurring in 2023; these events are forcing people to relocate, killing livestock and crops, and exacerbating air pollution.
Deadly illnesses like cholera, malaria, and dengue are spreading more widely due to the global heat wave, which has dire repercussions for expectant mothers and young children.
Preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and pregnancy-related complications can all result from harm that starts even before the baby is born, according to research. Consequences for kids can have a lifelong impact on their bodies and minds as they develop.
During COP28, UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director for Programs, Omar Abdi, highlighted the significance of prioritizing children in the urgent climate action agenda. The Call-to-Action outlines seven immediate steps that must be taken to mitigate these risks.
These include continuing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, taking action on climate finance, and ensuring that policies about climate change and disaster relief specifically take into account the needs of expectant mothers, newborns, and children.
To gain a deeper understanding of how climate change affects the health of mothers and children, the agencies also demand more research.
