The biggest threat to children’s health is destabilization of Earth’s climate. A child born today may experience an Earth that is 5°F warmer in 2100 than it was in 1750. Rapid global warming and ocean acidification destabilize Earth’s climate, compromising everyone’s health, particularly the health of children and future generations.
Our changing climate is already harming human health. Without serious action to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, children born today will see agricultural and seafood declines, worsening floods, droughts, and wildfires, sea level rise, and more disease spread by ticks, mosquitoes, and contaminated water.
Climate change is a health emergency. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions provides immediate and long-term benefits for everyone. Less air and water pollution translates into fewer asthma attacks for children and less chronic lung and heart disease for adults. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions slows global warming and benefits our children and future generations.
