Climate change adds month of dangerous heat for 560 mln children

Human-caused climate change is exposing about 560 million children worldwide to at least an extra month of dangerous heat each year, with younger generations bearing a disproportionate share of the impact, the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) said on Thursday.

The study, led by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) with contributions from UEF researchers, found that about 43 percent of children aged 9 and under now experience at least 30 additional days of heat stress each year because of climate change.

That compares with about 190 million people aged 60 to 69 facing the same increase in heat exposure, according to the study, published in the journal Science Advances.

The research focuses on humid heat, which is particularly dangerous because high humidity reduces the body's ability to cool itself through sweating.