Because of climate change, roughly 22 million children aged 0 to 9 in Bangladesh are exposed to at least one additional month of dangerous heat stress every year.
That figure represents roughly 79 percent of all children in this age group nationwide.
The finding comes from a study led by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels.
The study was published Thursday in the international science journal Science Advances.
The study found that, because of climate change, the number of children aged 0 to 9 in Bangladesh exposed to dangerous heat stress for at least five months, or 150 days, a year has nearly tripled. Without climate change, that number would have been around 9 million. It has now risen to roughly 26 million — 91 percent of all children in this age group.
Bangladesh’s situation is part of a larger crisis spanning South Asia.
According to the study, roughly 167.4 million children aged 0 to 9 across South Asia — about 62 percent of all children in this age group — are exposed to at least one additional month of heat stress a year because of climate change. The number of children in the region facing dangerous heat stress for at least five months a year has also doubled. Without climate change, that figure would have been around 80 million; it has now risen to 156.6 million.
The global study found that up to 560 million children aged 0 to 9 worldwide — 43 percent of all children in this age group — are now exposed to at least one additional month of heat stress every year because of human-caused climate change. Children face greater risk from this than people of other ages.
Children are especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Their bodies heat up faster than adults’, and their ability to regulate body temperature through sweating is comparatively weaker. They are also more dependent on adults to protect themselves from excessive heat. Severe heat can cause dehydration and heatstroke in children, and can worsen existing health conditions. Excessive heat can also negatively affect children’s learning ability and brain development.
The study placed particular emphasis on humid heat. A combined temperature-and-humidity threshold above 28 degrees Celsius in the shade was used as a key indicator of heat stress. When humidity is high, the body cannot effectively release heat through sweating, making such heat more dangerous.
According to the study’s projections, even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, roughly 23 million children aged 0 to 9 in Bangladesh — 87 percent — could face at least one additional month of heat stress every year. At the same time, roughly 25 million children — 93 percent — could face heat stress for at least five months a year.
If global warming reaches 2 degrees Celsius, roughly 19 million children in this age group — 98 percent — could face at least one additional month of heat stress every year. At the same time, roughly 19 million children — 97 percent — would be at risk of facing heat stress for at least five months a year.
Rosa Pietroiusti, the study’s lead author and a PhD researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, said hundreds of millions of children worldwide are already facing dangerous heat because of climate change, posing serious risks to their health. Children in developing countries are, and will continue to be, comparatively more at risk from climate-related extremes, both now and in the future.
Dr. Lutfun Nesa, head of the pediatrics department at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, said the effects of extreme heat driven by climate change are becoming increasingly apparent among children. In particular, problems such as sudden vomiting after playing in the sun, excessive fatigue, restlessness and loss of appetite are now being seen more often than before.
She said cool spaces need to be arranged for children to sit and play. Children should be kept indoors during certain hours of the midday and afternoon. They should wear light, breathable clothing, and should be given plenty of water to drink.
The study’s findings suggest that extreme temperatures are no longer just an environmental issue; they are also becoming a major challenge for children’s health, education and overall development. To protect children, the researchers say, child-focused heat-response plans, stronger heat-related health preparedness, climate-resilient public services, and effective measures to address heat-related health risks are needed. At the same time, the researchers emphasized the importance of rapidly cutting greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels to prevent heat risks from growing further in the future. In developing countries, poverty, inadequate housing, limited access to cool environments, and added strain on health systems could further reduce children’s ability to cope with extreme heat.