Extreme weather and climate-related adverse childhood experiences are a humanitarian crisis during the 21st century

This study researches extreme climate/weather events (ECEs) as a potential source of toxic stress for children. This further raises concerns for children's futures as research on traumatic and adverse childhood experiences (TRACEs) shows that early-life stress disrupts brain development and heightens vulnerability to mental illness. As ECEs become more common - in turn increasing the extent of displacement, family separation, poverty, violence, and neglect - ECEs pose an urgent humanitarian and public health challenge in the 21st century.

This study provides interventions to improve resilience and reduce the impact of ECEs. The authors highlight the need for this effort to be coordinated and through multi-sectoral collaboration. A few key recommendations for preventing and mitigating the mental health outcomes of environmentally driven adverse childhood experiences (E-ACEs) are given below, at the socio-structural, community, and individual level:

• Integrate mental health considerations into climate adaptation and disaster response plans to ensure child-sensitive policies that address both immediate and long-term psychological impacts of climate disasters.
• Engage community leaders, traditional healers, and spiritual figures to identify local resilience practices and integrate them into mental health initiatives to ensure cultural acceptability and sustainability.
• Implement screening programs to identify children affected by climate- induced adversities and provide timely psychosocial support.