Climate change is damaging the health of the world's children, report warns
Children around the world are already suffering ill health because of , scientists have warned. A major report published today in prestigious medical journal The Lancet has called on world leaders to get on with taking action to rescue the environment. Burning diesel and coal is giving children lung diseases, wildfires are triggering asthma and shrinking harvests are leaving many without enough food. Unless CO2 emissions are cut by 7.4 per cent per year for the next 31 years the health of the world's next generation is at risk, experts fear. Researchers from some 35 global institutions pulled together existing evidence of health damages to warn the world 'cannot afford this level of disengagement' and that children stand to lose the most to a changing climate. 'Children are particularly vulnerable to the health risks of a changing climate,' said Dr Nick Watts, director of the Lancet Countdown climate change think-tank. 'Their bodies and immune systems are still developing, leaving them more susceptible to disease and environmental pollutants. 'The damage done in early childhood is persistent and pervasive, with health consequences lasting for a lifetime. 'Without immediate action from all countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions, gains in wellbeing and life expectancy will be compromised, and climate change will come to define the health of an entire generation.' The Lancet Countdown report split the climate change effect into various categories including crop yields, air pollution and temperature rises. Toxic air from fossil fuel fumes is already killing people and coal alone is estimated to have contributed to more than a million premature deaths in 2016. PM2.5, one of the finest types of particles emitted by burning fossil fuels, is linked to around 2.9million premature deaths each year worldwide. Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: 'Our young people are already breathing health-damaging toxic air. This report warns the effects on their still-developing lungs will only get worse as the Earth gets hotter. 'Other vulnerable people, like those with a lung condition, also look set to see their conditions worsen as extreme weather events like heatwaves become ever more common.' And while the pollution directly affects people's health when they breathe it in, it also speeds up global warming which will cause secondary effects. Carbon dioxide emissions are still rising by 2.6 per cent between 2016 and 2018 despite governments and organisations pledging to cut them down. The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016 by 174 nation states and the European Union, committed leaders all over the world to limit the global temperature rise to less than 36F (2C). But the paper's 69 researchers said 'business as usual' would result in a 39F (4C) global temperature rise by the year 2100. Changing temperatures and rainfall are reducing crop yields which will leave many without enough food, especially in poorer countries which are less able to import. The young are among the most vulnerable to malnutrition and may have stunted growth, weak immune systems or developmental problems, the report said. Over the past 30 years yield potentials how much food a single plant can produce for maize, winter wheat, soy and rice have fallen by 4.25 per cent on average. Higher temperatures reduce crop yields by dehydrating the plants faster as water evaporates out of their leaves faster and out of the soil, meaning they grow slower. And hotter weather will add to the burden of illness in the forms of infections and extreme weather events, warned the Lancet Countdown report. Higher average temperatures make ideal conditions for bacteria and fungi to thrive in, which can make infection more likely. The report said 2018 was the 'second most suitable year on record' for the spread of diarrhoea-causing bacteria. Extreme weather will cause wildfires, droughts and flooding which, as well as posing immediate dangers, will contribute to homelessness and asthma as smoke from fires irritates people's lungs. The researchers' warning comes as 16-year-old Greta Thunberg continues to be headline news after sparking worldwide protests this year with her no-nonsense criticism of world leader's inaction on climate change. 'This year, the accelerating impacts of climate change have become clearer than ever', said Professor Hugh Montgomery, from University College London. 'The highest recorded temperatures in Western Europe and wildfires in Siberia, Queensland, and California triggered asthma, respiratory infections and heat stroke. 'Our children recognize this climate emergency and demand action to protect them. We must listen, and respond.' Editor-in-chief of the Lancet, Dr Richard Horton, added: 'The climate crisis is one of the greatest threats to the health of humanity today, but the world has yet to see a response from governments that matches the unprecedented scale of the challenge facing the next generation. 'With the full force of the Paris Agreement due to be implemented in 2020, we cant afford this level of disengagement. 'The clinical, global health and research community needs to come together now and challenge our international leaders to protect the imminent threat to childhood and lifelong health.'