Written by Hannah Harp
Spoon Feed
Biodiversity is in a state of rapid decline, leading to accelerated climate change and threatening child health by impacting microbial diversity, immune regulation/atopic disease, green spaces, air pollution, heat waves, flooding, and vector-borne diseases.
It’s not easy being green
Biodiversity, or the variability of living organisms (including flora, fauna, and microbiota), has decreased by 69% since the 1970s and is declining rapidly due to urban sprawl and land management. This review covers various ways that loss of biodiversity affects the health of children, which disproportionately affects socioeconomically vulnerable children in urban areas. Using a literature review approach, researchers found that declining biodiversity exacerbates climate change effects. Loss of microbial diversity directly impacts the immune system and inflammatory disorders, and air pollution is linked to child asthma. Rising average global temperature increases the risk of heat waves (which are associated with pregnancy complications such as preterm birth), risk of severe storms and flooding, and spread of vector-borne diseases. Green space exposure is linked to improved immune function, reduced stress, better mental health, and increased physical activity. The article presents ecosystem restoration efforts as a promising strategy to mitigate the effects of biodiversity loss, which is a priority in the United Nations. Most data referenced in this article is from cross-sectional and observational studies, so information is lacking about causality. In general, there are many research gaps related to this topic.
How will this change my practice?
I’ll keep encouraging families to spend time in nature frequently, let their kids get dirty, and take the time to teach kids to respect the planet.
Source
Impact of urban biodiversity and climate change on children’s health and well being. Pediatr Res. 2024 Dec 21. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-03769-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39709494
