Responding to the Impact of Climate Change on Adolescent and Young Adult Health: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the International Association for Adolescent Health.

Abstract

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the International Association for Adolescent Health recognize that climate change impacts multiple dimensions of health and well-being for adolescents and young adults. According to the World Health Organization, climate change is one of the top 10 health threats facing humanity. No aspect of adolescent health is spared from the consequences of climate change: food and housing insecurity, heat-related morbidity and mortality, water-borne diseases, infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted infections and HIV, mental health disorders, gender-based violence, conflict, internal displacement, and migration are all impacted. Vulnerable populations, such as adolescents and young adults, and those living in lower- to middle-income countries and environmental justice communities, are the ones whose health will be most affected. The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the International Association for Adolescent Health call for urgent action in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Convention on the Rights of the Child to avert the irreversible consequences of climate change. Health professionals and health-care organizations can and should help lead global climate action along with youth, supporting mitigation and adaptation strategies that protect young people. Adolescent health professionals and organizations must advocate for climate justice and equitable resources, urge health systems to mitigate their adverse impacts on the environment, advocate for health organizations to focus on green investments, be leaders in climate education of the next generation of adolescent health professionals, and focus research on equitable strategies to reduce climate harms.