EPA Publishes New Kids and Climate Health Zone

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released a new web contraption called the “Kids and Climate Health Zone.” The Zone is a collection of stories and information about how the hazards of climate stressors are impacting different childhood life stages and regions in the United States and what people can do to protect their children and families.

“Climate change is the challenge of our generation, and we owe it to the next generation – our nation’s children – to take action now in the fight to protect our health and our planet,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “Raising awareness of the impacts of climate and environmental stressors on children and highlighting actions that we can all implement to mitigate the effects are critical for the protection of children’s health and are central to our mission at EPA and to the efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration.”

“Children are uniquely vulnerable to climate change due to a variety of physical, cognitive, behavioral and social factors. Climate change-related impacts in childhood can have lifelong consequences due to its effects on learning, physical health, chronic disease and other conditions. Changing climate conditions, public health emergencies, and disasters can compound and affect children’s environmental health and safety,” EPA said.

In the Climate Zone read stories about:

• A toddler who is struggling with stress after his home is flooded and the steps that can be taken to mitigate the risks associated with flooding.
• A teenager who is dealing with extreme heat during practice and what the teenager can do to stay healthy.
• A pregnant woman who is exposed to wildfire smoke in her area and what resources she can use to keep herself and her baby safe.
• View these stories and more at the Kids and Climate Health Zone 

More Stories and Healthy Information

• Extreme Weather and Preschool-Aged Children
  • A child’s mental health is impacted by extreme weather
• Food Availability and Toddlers
  • A toddler in a subsistence fishing community gets food sick
• Food Safety and Toddlers
  • A toddler’s food safety is impacted by power outages
• Food Security and Young Children
  • An island-bound family struggles with food insecurity
• Heat and Pregnancy
  • A pregnant woman copes with high temperatures
• Heat and Teenage Athletes
  • A teenager experiences heat stroke during practice
• Mold Exposure and Respiratory Conditions in Young Children
  • A child’s respiratory illness is triggered by mold
• Private Wells and Drinking Water Safety and Infants
  • A baby experiences Blue Baby Syndrome
• Sea Level Rise and Adolescents
  • A pre-teen struggles mentally after coastal relocation
• Tick-borne Illness and School-Aged Children
  • A school-aged child gets Lyme disease
• Water Contamination and Young Children
  • A child gets diarrhea following heavy rains
• Wildfire Smoke and Pregnancy
  • A pregnant woman worries about the impact of wildfire smoke on her and baby