Agence France-PresseJan 15, 2021 14:46:42 IST
Climate change may be contributing more to child malnutrition and poor diet than traditional causes such as poverty and poor hygiene, according to a study published Thursday. While childhood malnutrition has declined globally over the last few decades, malnutrition has risen since 2015, partly due to warming temperatures and severe weather. The United Nations says 144 million children under the age of five suffered from stunting in 2019 due to malnutrition, with another 47 million suffering from dehydration caused by low nutrition.
Experts fear that the decline in essential nutrients in a growing number will challenge humanity’s ability to feed 10 billion people right by the middle of the century.
The study found that higher temperatures can directly affect the production of globally important staple crops and reduce livestock productivity, both of which affect child nutrition.
A team of researchers led by the University of Vermont studied dietary diversity among more than 100,000 children under the age of five in 19 low-income countries across Asia, Africa and South America. They then combined 30 years of temperature and precipitation data.
They found that higher temperatures were associated with significant reductions in dietary quality in five of the six regions studied.
Writing in the magazine Environmental Research Letters, the team warned that climate change could undermine the world ‘s great progress in child development.
“Certainly malnutrition is expected to be affected by future climate change, but it was surprising that higher temperatures are already showing an impact,” said lead author Meredith Niles, west Professor of Nutrition and Food Services at Vermont.
Deep impact
The study looked specifically at dietary diversity – a UN metric that measures diet mix and micronutrient intake.
Micronutrients such as iron, folic acid and zinc, as well as vitamins A and D, are essential for physical and mental development in children.
Rising carbon pollution has been shown to reduce the levels of these essential micronutrients in many crop stables, including wheat, rice and legumes.
On average, children in the study ate ingredients from 3.2 out of 10 possible food groups – including meat and fish, grains and dark, leafy greens – in the previous 24 hours. In comparison, children in China were found to have eaten from more than twice the number of food groups – 6.8 on average.
The study found that warming temperatures and unusual weather patterns could “have profound short- and long-term effects on children’s dietary diversity”.
Higher temperatures can directly affect the production of globally important basic crops and reduce livestock productivity, both of which affect child nutrition.
In addition, pregnant women with hot spells often deliver babies with lower than average birth rates, putting them at greater risk from stunting.
The authors urged governments to include climate change in their plans to improve diet for the most vulnerable children.
“That’s something we find again and again in this global research,” said co-author Taylor Ricketts, director of the Gund Environment Institute at the University of Vermont.
“Continued environmental pollution has the potential to undermine the impressive health benefits of the world over the past 50 years.”