TUESDAY, Dec. 9, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Climate change could pose a threat to children’s intellectual development, according to a new study.
Children who grow up in higher than usual temperatures — average temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit — are less likely to reach developmental milestones in literacy and math, researchers reported Dec. 8 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
“Given that early development lays the foundation for lifelong learning, physical and mental health, and overall well-being, these findings should alert researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to the urgent need to protect child development in a warming world,” Jorge Cuartas, assistant professor of applied psychology at New York University, said in a press release.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 19,600 3- and 4-year-old children in the African countries of Gambia, Madagascar, Malawi and Sierra Leone; in Georgia, a nation on the Black Sea; and in Palestine.
The team compared information on children’s education, health, nutrition and hygiene with data on average monthly temperatures to assess possible links between heat exposure and early childhood development.
The results showed that children exposed to average temperatures above 30°C were 5% to nearly 7% less likely to achieve basic developmental milestones in reading, writing and math than children exposed to temperatures below 30°C.
These impacts were most evident among children from poor households, children without access to clean water, and children living in urban areas.
“Although heat exposure has been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes throughout life, this study provides new evidence that excessive heat negatively impacts the development of young children in various countries,” Cuartas said.
“We urgently need more research to identify the mechanisms that explain these effects and the factors that protect children or increase their vulnerability,” he added. “This work will help identify concrete targets for policies and interventions that strengthen preparedness, adaptation and resilience in the face of worsening climate change.”
More information
Harvard University has more information on early childhood development and climate change.
SOURCE: New York University press release, December 8, 2025
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