Cecilia Sorensen, Director of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education at Columbia University, provides her expert views on how children are uniquely at risk from extreme heat. Currently, 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency, with this number increasing to all children globally by 2050 – regardless of whether the world achieves a low greenhouse gas emission scenario. Therefore, we must understand how extreme heat impacts infants, young children and pregnant women, and learn how to protect this vulnerable population. Using the ‘B.E.A.T. the Heat’ framework can help: Be aware of heat stress; Easily identify the symptoms; Act immediately to protect, and; Take to a health facility.
Watch the video to learn more about each of these steps and what else can be done to protect children from extreme heat.
