Climate change is one of the biggest global health threats and intergenerational injustices of the 21st century, affecting every country across the globe and disrupting livelihoods and national economies, particularly of countries least able to cope. Climate change affects people’s physical and psychological health through direct exposure to extreme weather events (e.g., heatwaves, storms, and floods), air pollution, food-, water- and vector-borne diseases, and disruptions to food systems, water security, health-care and social protection services.
Women, children, and adolescents, especially those living in humanitarian settings, marginalized conditions or suffering discrimination, continue to bear the most severe consequences. Climate change acts as a “threat multiplier” to their health vulnerabilities by escalating social, political, and economic tensions and inequalities.
This brief outlines specific recommendations for PMNCH constituencies to address climate change as part of interventions for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health (WCAH) and accelerate climate policies, financing and programmes that integrate the needs of women, children and adolescents.