Now Reading: 56 crore children face extra heat stress from climate change
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56 crore children face extra heat stress from climate change
A new study has found that 56 crore children aged 0-9 worldwide, including 14.5 crore in India, are exposed to at least 30 additional days of heat stress each year due to…
A new study has found that 56 crore children aged 0-9 worldwide, including 14.5 crore in India, are exposed to at least 30 additional days of heat stress each year due to human-induced climate change. The research, published in Science Advances, was conducted by a team of 10 scientists from nine universities including Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Oxford.
Children face nearly three times the exposure of people aged 60-90. In a world warmed by 1.5 degrees Celsius, children would face up to 150 heat stress days. The study calls for urgent mitigation and adaptation measures, including heat action plans and better public health systems, to protect younger generations.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Children's bodies heat up faster and cool down slower than adults, making them physiologically more vulnerable even before poverty and poor housing are factored in. India already runs heat action plans in several states, but these focus mainly on outdoor workers and the elderly, not on child-specific risks such as school timings or playground exposure. The National Disaster Management Authority updated its heatwave guidelines in 2023 but has not issued separate protocols for children. With 14.5 crore children affected, the next test is whether state governments will incorporate age-specific triggers into their heat action plans before summer 2025.
Source: deccanherald.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
