Abstract

The most significant threat to children’s health and future is the combustion byproducts of fossil fuels, which are also major contributors to environmental injustice and inequality worldwide. Numerous harmful air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2), the most significant greenhouse gas produced by humans, are among the emissions. Children’s harm may be exacerbated when air pollution and climate change work together. Impaired cognitive and behavioral development, respiratory illness, and other chronic diseases are among the effects. All of these conditions can be “seeded” in utero and have an immediate and lasting impact on health and functioning. Pollution and climate change make children less resilient and the communities in which they live less equitable by affecting their health, ability to learn, and potential to contribute to society.