Age-specific exposure to human-induced increases in humid heat

Journal article

Children are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts and will face intensifying effects of climate change during their lifetimes. Here we show that children already face disproportionate exposure compared to older generations, as many live in regions hit hardest by escalating humid heat stress. Combining demographic data with a global grid-scale attribution framework, we find that at present-day warming levels 2.8 – 3 times more children aged 0 to 9 than adults aged 60 to 69 are exposed to at least 20 additional heat stress days attributable to anthropogenic climate change, based on both reanalysis (3.0 [3.0 – 3.1]) and climate models (2.8 [2.4 – 3.0]). On average, children experience 9 – 10 more attributable heat stress days than people aged 60 to 69 (reanalysis 9 [6 – 9], models 10 [6 – 13]), and this difference is likely conservative as children spend more time outdoors. This intergenerational disparity persists as overall heat stress escalates under global warming of 1.5ºC and 2ºC, highlighting the need for mitigation and adaptation policies to protect children from heat-related health risks.

Authors: Pietroiusti, R; Fischer, E; Stuart-Smith, R; Harrington, LJ; Brimicombe, C

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Journal: Science Advances
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 35
• Article number: eaeb3232
• Publication date: 2026-08-26
• Acceptance date: 2026-06-23
• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeb3232
• EISSN: 2375-2548
• Language: English