Burn, Baby, Burn!

A special issue of the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology includes 6 scientific papers from Australia, Denmark, Israel and the US. What they all have in common, is the message that global heating and its consequences appear to have detrimental effects on human foetuses, babies and young children (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/15/global-heating-linked-early-birth-damage-babies-health). One study established a link between elevated ambient temperatures and fast weight gain in babies. This increases their later risk of obesity, with attendant medical problems (e.g. diabetes). In another study, global heating was linked to premature birth, also associated with lifelong medical problems (e.g. intellectual impairment). A third study found a link between higher temperatures and increased hospital admissions in young children. Another paper found that the smoke from wildfires, doubled the risk of severe birth defects. Reduced human fertilty was linked to air pollution produced by burning fossil fuels. This collection of papers broadly confirms that the consequences of the climate crisis are being largely dumped on the coming generations. No wonder children and their parents are worried by the profound inertia evident in attempts to reduce 'greenhouse gas' emissions.