Cascading impacts of climate change on child survival and health in Africa

Children will bear some of the heaviest burdens of climate change, putting their survival and health at risk. Our Perspective underlines some of the critical routes through which climate change and its interactions with underlying factors of vulnerability affect children in Africa. We highlight the role of non-climatic factors or ‘socio-political stratifiers’ (poverty, housing conditions, conflicts and violence, displacement and migration) in increasing risks and reinforcing inequalities. We propose three priority areas of action to break vulnerability cycles and protect children: child-centred plans and policies that recognize children as rights bearers and agents of change; financial support for climate action for children; and climate-smart public facilities such as schools and health centres that can continually provide basic services. Children will bear considerable burdens of climate change, particularly where impacts intersect with pre-existing vulnerabilities. In this Perspective, the authors highlight how climate factors and socio-political stratifiers increase children’s risks in Africa and propose action to break vulnerability cycles.