Study links climate change to stunted child growth in Africa

New research from the University of Notre Dame in the United States finds that climate change is stunting children’s growth and contributing to malnutrition. Source: NCR Online. 

The study, published in June in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found a direct association between human-caused climate change and increased childhood stunting, or impaired growth or development.

The researchers analysed climate modelling and observed temperatures alongside demographic and health survey data from 2004 to 2020 for 34 African countries. They determined that every 1 degree Celsius of global temperature rise associated with human activities linked directly to a 3.45 per cent increase in childhood stunting. 

That equates to close to 7 million children, said Arun Agrawal, one of the study’s co-authors and director of Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative.

Stunting, a key indicator of malnutrition, is commonly seen through a child’s diminished weight and height. A variety of factors contribute to stunting, including poor diets, repeated infections and inadequate sanitation, as well as genetics, maternal diet and education, and access to healthcare.

Hotter temperatures can also play a role, both directly and indirectly. Droughts worsened by climate change, for example, strain agriculture production and food access, worsening nutrition for both children and expectant mothers. Increased heat can also place biological stressors on a child in utero, such as reduced blood flow through the placenta, Mr Agrawal said.

“Couple that with reduced availability of food, and you get a double impact of climate change on stunting,” he said.

Climate change’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable people – who have contributed the least to the problem but suffer the most, often lacking the means or resources to adapt or respond to extreme weather – has been the guiding message of the Catholic Church and other religious communities.

“I think the Catholic Church, under both Pope Francis and Pope Leo, shows us what we need to do to address the kinds of challenges that our study is showing, where people – vulnerable people, marginalised people – are facing because of climate change. We need to care for the common good,” Mr Agrawal said.

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Notre Dame study links climate change to stunted child growth in Africa (By Brian Roewe, NCR Online)