Globally, climate change is estimated to undo the past 50 years of development in global health and poverty reduction, with an annual increase of 250,000 deaths globally due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress alone[1]. The most vulnerable are children under the age of five, whose cognition and language development are impaired through factors like dehydration, environmental toxins, and malnutrition-induced stunting, which can reduce IQ scores by as much as 11 points[2].
Globally, the projected cost of climate change-associated health damages will be $2-4 billion per year by 2030[3], but these damages will disproportionately impact developing countries with weak health and education infrastructure. Ultimately, building climate resilience will depend on a dual approach focused on health and education systems to manage, mitigate, and adapt to the implications of climate change.