Dear colleagues
Archives of Disease in Childhood has just published an editorial based on the RCPCH Position Statement on climate change and child health and this is freely available
https://adc.bmj.com/content/archdischild/early/2021/12/06/archdischild-2...
There is a particular focus on the impact of air pollution:
"Air pollution will impact almost all children in all parts of the world. Nearly all children in the world breathe poor quality air and, in 2016, 300 000 children aged less than 5 years died because of ambient air pollution, and a further 400 000 died as a result of household air pollution. Children breathe faster, so they inhale more airborne toxicants in proportion to their weight at a time when their organs are still forming. Exposure to air pollutants during pregnancy and childhood can have harmful and irreversible effects on the development of the lungs and other organs and the potential for health problems as an adult."
The editorial expands on recent action by children and young people in relation to the scope of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:
"For example, in 2020, six children and young people from Portugal took 33 countries to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). They want the ECtHR to make a legally binding decision that will mandate governments to take urgent action on climate change."
The editorial makes a specific call to world leaders in relation to action which should be taken urgently -
"..the College wants leaders to commit to the following three areas:
1. Support and protection of children.
We call for child health to be a central theme in all climate change policy decisions. In recognition that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis, governments should mobilise and allocate the maximum available resources to protect those rights and include a child rights risk assessment as part of all climate policy decisions.
2. Mitigation to reduce the emissions associated with climate change.
We call for all countries to prioritise the delivery of a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels. Children and young people are especially vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution, and exposure to poor air quality has lifelong implications for an individual’s potential. Governments should strengthen targets to end the use of fossil fuels in all sectors as part of their transition to clean renewable energy sources, including the immediate cessation of all fossil fuel exploration and subsidies.
3. Adaptation to protect current and future generations of children from the impacts of climate change.
We call for targeted investment in climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable health and education services. Growing up in a clean and safe environment is every child’s right, and urgent investment in clean water, sanitation and good hygiene practices should be prioritised to keep children thriving. It is vital that children can continue to go to school and access healthcare services despite the increasing risks presented by climate change."
Please disseminate these requests and seek a similar declaration from your own association in relation to the impact of the climate crisis on children's health.
Also take note of the ISSOP Declaration on climate change which is similarly a call for action from child health professionals on this urgent situation https://www.issop.org/2021/03/28/issop-declaration-on-climate-change/
Tony Waterston
CHIFA profile: Tony Waterston is a retired consultant paediatrician who worked mainly in the community in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. He spent 6 years working in Zambia and Zimbabwe and directed the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Diploma in Palestinian Child Health teaching programme in the occupied Palestinian territories. He was an Editor of the Journal of Tropical Pediatrics and is on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Social Pediatrics. His academic interests are child poverty, advocacy for child health and children's rights. He is currently the lead moderator of CHIFA (HIFA's sister forum on child health and rights). He is also a member of the HIFA Steering Group.
Tony.Waterston AT newcastle.ac.uk
