TY - JOUR T1 - Climate crisis and child health inequity JF - BMJ Paediatrics Open JO - BMJ Paediatrics Open DO - 10.1136/bmjpo-2021-001357 VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - e001357 AU - Karl Gauffin AU - Nick Spencer Y1 - 2022/04/01 UR - http://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e001357.abstract N2 - The climate crisis, that is, global heating and its multiple consequences, is one of the greatest threats to the future of the world’s children.1 At the same time, the causal chains that connect climate change and children’s health are long and complex. Some threats can be directly attributed to climate change (eg, extreme weather events), some are mediated through changes in ecological systems (eg, distribution and burden of vector-borne diseases) and others are channelled through factors related to resource distribution, social organisation and institutional arrangements (eg, food insecurity and forced migration).2 3 Climate change could be described as a ‘creeping crisis’ as it evolves over time, reveals itself in different ways and resists adequate responses.4 As such, the adverse impact on child health through mediated factors can be challenging to pinpoint, although the occurrence of ‘climate shocks’ and its direct effects are making these causal chains less uncertain.Children are particularly vulnerable to climate change for various reasons. Due to their incomplete physiological and cognitive development they have higher exposure to air, food and water per unit body weight, putting them at higher risk of climate-related health burdens than adults.5 This biological vulnerability is aggravated by interaction with social vulnerability. Hazardous environmental and social conditions for poor and marginalised children in majority world countries, including lacking access to essential determinants of health such as clean water and adequate nutrition, are particularly severe for developing bodies and minds. The social vulnerability of children is further exacerbated by their dependence on parents and/or caregivers. Finally, there is an emerging recognition that climate change is a greater threat … ER -