Research on three- and four-year-olds in different nations examined the impact of temperature on childhood milestones, with startling results
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We’re all familiar with the impacts of climate change. From posing serious risks to the environment, food systems and human health, rising temperatures and heatwaves in particular are known to lead to a cascade of effects across the planet.
A recent study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry has added to the plethora of impacts that climate change can cause: it found that children exposed to higher-than-usual temperatures – specifically, higher than 30°C – were less likely to meet developmental milestones for literacy and numeracy, relative to children living in areas with lower temperatures.
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‘While heat exposure has been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes across the life course, this study provides a new insight that excessive heat negatively impacts young children’s development across diverse countries,’ said lead author Jorge Cuartas, assistant professor of applied psychology at NYU Steinhardt.
‘Because early development lays the foundation for lifelong learning, physical and mental health, and overall well-being, these findings should alert researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to the urgent need to protect children’s development in a warming world.’
To come to their conclusions, Cuartas and his co-authors analyse data from almost 20,000 three- and four-year-olds from Gambia, Georgia, Madagascar, Malawi, Palestine, and Sierra Leone, selected because they had detailed data on child development, household factors, and climate, which allowed the researchers to estimate children’s exposure to different temperatures.
To assess children’s development, the researchers used the Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI), which measures basic developmental milestones in four areas: skills related to reading and numbers (literacy and numeracy), social-emotional development, approaches to learning, and physical development.
They also used data from a database that provided indicators on wellbeing, including education, health, nutrition and sanitation. Merging this data together alongside information on average monthly temperatures, scientists were able to determine whether there were any links between heat exposure and early childhood development.
They found that children who were exposed to average maximum temperatures above 30°C were five to 6.7 per cent less likely to meet basic developmental milestones for literary and numeracy compared to children exposed to temperatures lower than 30°C in the same region and season. These effects were more pronounced among children from economically disadvantaged households, households with less access to clean water and from urban areas.
‘We urgently need more research to identify the mechanisms that explain these effects and the factors that either protect children or heighten their vulnerability. Such work will help pinpoint concrete targets for policies and interventions that strengthen preparedness, adaptation, and resilience as climate change intensifies,’ said Curtas.
