About this session

Friday, 4:40 PM - 6:10 PM

Climate change, child development, and families: risk, protection, and interventions

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to human livelihood and survival. Yet, there is scarce research on the potential consequences of climate change-related hazards on children’s development and families and on effective strategies to promote adaptation, resilience, and pro-environmental behavior. This symposium comprises four papers aimed at filling these gaps in knowledge.

The first paper leverages satellite information and geocoded data from 14 nationally representative household surveys conducted in low- and- middle-income countries (N=21,250) and finds associations between atypically high temperatures and adverse early childhood development outcomes and reduced parental stimulation. The second paper presents a conceptual framework and findings from a literature review (n=85 studies) that suggest that climate change can compromise children’s development and family functioning, though the results are highly context-specific.

The third paper uses a rapid review approach to show how policies and interventions can help prevent families from experiencing the negative impacts of climate change, prepare families to face these impacts, support families as they face them, and engage families in policymaking and action to address climate change. Finally, the fourth study shows findings from an experiment in The Netherlands and China (N=474) demonstrating that a motive-alignment intervention increased adolescents’ observed pro-environmental behavior.
Collectively, these studies provide evidence on how climate change can impact children and families and offer insights for researchers and practitioners interested in using developmental science to support children and families in the context of climate change.

Paper #1
Title	Excessive Heat and Early Childhood Development in Low-and-Middle-Income Countries: a Quasi-Experimental Analysis of Spatial Data
Presenting author	Dr. Jorge Cuartas, New York University, United States

Paper #2
Title	Climate Change and Families: Review of Evidence
Presenting author	Lucero Ramirez-Varela, New York University, United States

Paper #3
Title	A Review of Policies and Interventions to Mitigate Climate Adversity and Support Children and Families
Presenting author	Alexis Brieant, Ph.D., University of Vermont, United States

Paper #4
Title	Promoting Adolescents’ Sustainable Behavior via Motive-Alignment: A Field Experiment in Two Countries
Presenting author	Jenna Spitzer, Utrecht University, Netherlands

View all paper details

Session chair
Dr. Jorge Cuartas, New York University & Universidad de los Andes, United States / Colombia

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