Children and Climate Change: Introducing the Issue

Abstract

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2015—with an average global temperature 1.6° Fahrenheit warmer than the twentieth-century average—was Earth’s warmest year since record keeping began in 1880, continuing a half-century-long trend of rising temperatures. The debate about climate change and appropriate policy response is often framed in terms of the likely impact on our children. Children born in 2016 will be 34 in 2050 and 84 in 2100. How will the probable rise in temperature (3.6 to 7.2° Fahrenheit, or 2 to 4° Celsius), rising sea levels, and the increasing likelihood of extreme weather affect the course of their lives and the lives of their children? This issue of The Future of Children outlines the likely consequences of climate change on child health and wellbeing and identifies policies that could mitigate negative impacts.