Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Young People and Climate Change: The Role of Developmental Science

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Developmental Science and Sustainable Development Goals for Children and Youth

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 74))

Abstract

Addressing climate change is the 13th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), where it is described as the single biggest threat to development, and since it will disrupt the basic necessities for human health and well-being - food, water, clean air, and a safe place to live – it will impact on almost all the other SDGs. This chapter summarizes the climate science which indicates that we must eliminate man-made emissions of greenhouse gases almost entirely by mid-century. The most severe impacts of climate change will be felt by children in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), and include threats to physical, psychological and social well-being. Evidence from developmental science, using a bioecological systems framework, is presented to show how a changing climate will increase children’s exposure to cumulative risk factors while reducing their exposure to protective/promotive influences, resulting in a range of negative developmental effects. This is followed by a discussion of the role of developmental science in helping children and youth to manage their negative emotions surrounding climate change and develop the skills and attributes which will help mitigate climate change, working towards achieving not only SDG 13 but a number of other SDGs. Developmental science also offers models and interventions which can be used to support children and youth to be resilient to the challenges of climate change, and to contribute effectively to solutions to mitigate it, buffer its effects and adapt to it. The chapter concludes by arguing that developmental scientists can take on a range of important roles in addressing climate change in order to protect the well-being of future generations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Allen, P., French, C., Hopkinson, L., & James, P. (2015). Zero carbon – Making it happen: Initial findings. Machynlleth: Centre for Alternative Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asugeni, J., Mac Laren, D., Massey, P., & Speare, R. (2015). Mental health issues from rising sea level in remote coastal regions of the Solomon Islands: Current and future. Australasian Psychiatry, 23, 22–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Australian Psychological Society. (2017). The climate change empowerment handbook. http://psychology.org.au/APS/media/pdfs/Legacy/The-Climate-Change-Empowerment-Handbook.pdf

  • Back, E., Cameron, C., & Tanner, T. (2009). Children and disaster risk reduction: Taking stock and moving forward. Brighton: Children in a Changing Climate /Institute of Developmental Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Behrman, J., & Urzua, S. (2013). Economic perspectives on some important dimensions of early childhood development in developing countries. In P. Britto, P. Engle, & C. Super (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood development research and its impact on global policy (pp. 123–142). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Blicharska, M., Smithers, R. J., Kuchler, M., Agrawal, G., Gutiérrez, J. M., Hassanali, A., & Mikusiński, G. (2017). Steps to overcome the North-South divide in research relevant to climate-change policy and practice. Nature Climate Change, 7, 21–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In R. M. Lerner & W. Damon (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (Vol. 1, 6th ed., pp. 793–828). Hoboken: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clayton, S., Manning, C., Krygsman, K., & Speiser, M.. (2017). Mental health and our changing climate: Impacts, implications, and guidance. [Internet]. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica. Available from: http://ecoamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ea-apa- psych-reportweb.Pdf.

  • Corapci, F., Calatroni, A., Kaciroti, N., Jiminez, E., & Lozoff, B. (2010). Longitudinal evaluation of externalizing and internalizing behavior following iron deficiency in infancy. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 296–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costello, A., Abbas, M., Bail, S., Ball, S., Belamy, R., Fitel, S., Allen, A., Patterson, C., Groce, N., Johnson, A., Kett, M., Lee, M., Levy, C., Maslin, M., McCoy, D., McGuire, B., Montgomery, H., Napier, D., Pagel, C., Patel, J., de Oliveira, J. A., Redclift, N., Rees, H., Rogger, D., Scott, J., Stephenson, J., Twigg, J., & Wolff, J. (2009). Managing the health effects of climate change. The Lancet, 373, 1693–1708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Council on Environmental Health. (2015). Global climate change and children’s health. Pediatrics, 136, 992–997.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dean, J., & Stain, H. (2010). Mental health impact for adolescents living with prolonged drought. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 18, 32–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doherty, T., & Clayton, S. (2011). The psychological impacts of global climate change. American Psychologist, 66, 265–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Few, R. (2007). Health and climatic hazards: Framing social research on vulnerability, response and adaptation. Global Environmental Change, 17, 281–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritze, J., Blashki, G. A., Burke, S., & Wiseman, J. (2008). Hope, despair and transformation: Climate change and the promotion of mental health and well-being. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 2, 13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia, D., & Sheehan, M. (2016). Extreme weather-driven disasters and children’s health. International Journal of Health Services, 46, 79–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garthwaite, R., & Mitchell, P. (2014). Inequality, climate change and children’s development. In UNICEF (2014b), op. cit., pp. 101–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelkopf, M., Ryan, P., Cotton, S., & Berger, R. (2008). The impact of “training the trainers” course for helping tsunami-survivor children on Sri Lankan disaster volunteer workers. International Journal of Stress Management, 15, 117–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goenjian, A., Walling, D., Steinberg, A., Karayan, I., Najarian, L., & Pynoos, R. (2005). A prospective study of posttraumatic stress and depressive reactions among treated and untreated adolescents 5 years after a catastrophic disaster. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 2302–2308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldman, E., & Galea, S. (2014). Mental health consequences of disasters. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 169–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grantham-McGregor, S., Cheung, Y., Cuato, S., Glewwe, P., Richter, L., Strupp, B., & The International Child Development Steering Group. (2007). Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries. Lancet, 369, 60–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm, N. B., Chapin, F. S., Bierwagen, B., Gonzalez, P., Groffman, P. M., Luo, Y., Melton, F., Nadelhoffer, K., Pairis, A., Raymond, P. A., Schimel, J., & Williamson, C. E. (2013). The impacts of climate change on ecosystem structure and function. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 11, 474–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamadani, J., Nahar, B., Huda, S., & Tofail, F. (2014). Integrating early child development programs into health and nutrition services in Bangladesh. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1308, 192–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanna, R., & Oliva, P. (2016). Children and climate change. The Future of Children, 26, 115–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harkness, S., Super, C. M., Mavridis, C. J., Barry, O., & Zeitlin, M. (2013). Culture and early childhood development: Implications for policy and programs. In P. R. Britto, P. L. Engle, & C. M. Super (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood development research and its impact on global policy (pp. 142–160). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, R., Fisher S., & Kimiagar, B. (2014). Beyond projects: Involving children in community governance as a fundamental strategy for facing climate change. In UNICEF (2014b), op. cit., pp. 92–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, M. T., Letcher, P., Sanson, A., Smart, D., & Toumbourou, J. (2009). Positive development in emerging adulthood. Australian Journal of Psychology, 61, 89–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heaney, A., & Winter, S. (2016). Climate driven migration: An exploratory case study of Maasai health perceptions and help-seeking behaviors. International Journal of Public Health, 61, 641–649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hsiang, S., Burke, M., & Miguel, E. (2013). Quantifying the influence of climate on human conflict. Science, 341, 1212–1236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • International Organization for Migration (2018). Migration, climate change and the environment. https://www.iom.int/complex-nexus#estimates

  • Kousky. (2016). Impacts of natural disasters on children. The Future of Children, 26, 73–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leman, P. J., Smith, E. P., Petersen, A. C., & SRCD Ethnic–Racial Issues and International Committees. (2017). Introduction to the special section of child development on positive youth development in diverse and global contexts. Child Development, 88, 1039–1044.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R., Almerigi, J. B., Theokas, C., & Lerner, J. V. (2005). Positive youth development: A view of the issues. Journal of Early Adolescence, 25, 10–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez-Boo, F., Palloni, G., & Urzua, S. (2014). Cost-benefit analysis of a micronutrient supplementation andearly childhood stimulation in Nicaragua. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1308, 139–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, J., Willox, A., Ford, J., Shiwak, I., Wood, M., & IMHACC Team & The Rigolet Inuit Community Government. (2013). Protective factors for mental health and well-being in a changing climate: Perspectives from Inuit youth in Nunatsiavut Labrador. Social Science & Medicine, 141, 133–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMichael, A. (2014). Climate change and children: Health risks of abatement inaction, health gains from action. Children, 1, 99–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMichael, A., Woodruf, R., & Hales, S. (2006). Climate change and human health: Present and future risks. Lancet, 367, 859–869.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMichael, C. E., Barnett, J., & McMichael, A. (2012). An ill wind: Climate change, migration and health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 120, 646–654.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NASA. (2016). 2016 climate trends continue to break records. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/climate-trends-continue-to-break-records

  • National Academy of Sciences & The Royal Society. (2014). Climate change: Evidence and causes. https://doi.org/10.17226/18730

  • Neuner, F., Schauer, E., Catani, C., Ruf, M., & Elbert, T. (2006). Post-tsunami stress: A study of posttraumatic stress disorder in children living in three severely affected regions in Sri Lanka. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 19, 339–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2016). Global competencies for an inclusive world. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ojala, M. (2015). Young people and global climate change: Emotions, coping, and engagement in everyday life. In N. Ansell et al. (Eds.), Geographies of global issues: Change and threat (pp. 1–19). Singapore: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oppenheimer, & Anttila-Hughes. (2016). The science of climate change. The future of children (Vol. 26, pp. 11–30).

    Google Scholar 

  • Paris Agreement. (2015). https://unfccc.int/files/meetings/paris_nov_2015/application/pdf/paris_agreement_english_.pdf

  • Patra, N. (2016). Climatic shock, community capability and childhood malnutrition: Case study from the Indian Sundarbans. Public Health Nursing, 31, 484–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perera, F. (2008). Children are likely to suffer most from our fossil fuel addiction. Environmental Health Perspectives, 116, 987–990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reser, J. P. (2010, July 11). A psychological perspective on “thinking globally and acting locally” in the context of climate change. Keynote address delivered at the International Congress of Applied Psychology, Melbourne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reser, J., & Swim, J. (2011). Adapting to and coping with the threat and impacts of climate change. American Psychologist, 66, 277–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reuveny, R. (2007). Climate change-induced migration and violent conflict. Political Geography, 26, 656–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salmela-Aro, K. (2009). Personal goals and well-being during critical life transitions: The four C’s—channelling, choice, co-agency and compensation. Advances in Life Course Research, 14, 63–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanson, A. (2017). Developmental science’s role in responding to the climate crisis. ISSBD Bulletin, 1(17), 10–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheffield, P., & Landrigan, P. (2011). Global climate change and children’s health: Threats and strategies for prevention. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119, 291–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Speldewinde, P., Cook, A., Daivies, P., & Weinstein, P. (2009). A relationship between environmental degradation and mental health in rural western Australia. Health & Place, 15, 880–887.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, K., & Peterson, N. (2016). Motivating action through fostering climate change hope and concern and avoiding despair among adolescents. Sustainability, 8, 6–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2014). Global citizenship education. Preparing learners for the challenges of the 21st century. Paris: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2014a). Convention on the rights of the child. https://www.unicef.org/crc

  • UNICEF. (2014b). The challenges of climate change: Children on the front line. Innocenti insight. Florence: UNICEF Office of Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF. (2015). Unless we act now: The impact of climate change on children. New York: United Nations Childrens Fund.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vassallo, S., & Sanson, A. (Eds.). (2013). The Australian temperament project: The first 30 years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vijayakumar, L., Kannan, G., Kumar, B., & Devarajan, P. (2006). Do all children need intervention after exposure to tsunami? International Review of Psychiatry, 18, 515–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wachs, T. D., & Rahman, A. (2013). The nature and impact of risk and protective influences on children’s development in low income countries. In P. Britto, P. Engle, & C. Super (Eds.), Handbook of early child development research and its impact on global policy (pp. 85–122). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wachs, T. D., Georgieff, M., Cusick, S., & McEwen, B. (2014). Issues in the timing of integrated early interventions: Contributions from nutrition, neuroscience and psychological research. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1308, 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wachs, T. D., Cueto, S., & Yao, H. (2016). More than poverty: Pathways from economic inequality to reduced developmental potential. International Journal of Behavioral Development., 40, 536–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, S., Chang, S., Powell, C., Simonoff, E., & Grantham-McGregor, S. (2006). Effects of psychosocial stimulation and dietary supplementation in early childhood on psychosocial functioning in late adolescence. British Medical Journal, 333, 472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, S., Wachs, T.D., Grantham-McGregor, S., Black, M., Nelson, C., Huffman, S., Baker-Henningham H, Chang SM, Hamadani JD, Lozoff B, Gardner JM, Powell CA, Rahman A Richter, L. (2011). Inequality begins by early childhood: Risk and protective factors for early child development. The Lancet, 378, 1325–1338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wickrama, K. A., & Kaspar, V. (2007). Family context of mental health risk in Tsunami-exposed adolescents: Findings from a pilot study in Sri Lanka. Social Science and Medicine, 64, 713–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2002). The world health. Report 2002: Reducing risks, promoting healthy life. Geneva: WHO.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Ann V. Sanson

  2. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Theodore D. Wachs

  3. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Silvia H. Koller

  4. North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Silvia H. Koller

  5. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Katariina Salmela-Aro

Authors
  1. Ann V. Sanson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Theodore D. Wachs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Silvia H. Koller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Katariina Salmela-Aro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ann V. Sanson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Former Head, Department of Human Development & Family Relations, Government Home Science College, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

    Suman Verma

  2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Anne C. Petersen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Sanson, A.V., Wachs, T.D., Koller, S.H., Salmela-Aro, K. (2018). Young People and Climate Change: The Role of Developmental Science. In: Verma, S., Petersen, A. (eds) Developmental Science and Sustainable Development Goals for Children and Youth. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 74. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96592-5_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation