Temperature Extremes, Health, and Human Capital

The extreme temperatures expected under climate change may be especially harmful to children. Children are more vulnerable to heat partly because of their physiological features, but, perhaps more important, because they behave and respond differently than adults do. Children are less likely to manage their own heat risk and may have fewer ways to avoid heat; for example, because they don’t plan their own schedules, they typically can’t avoid activity during hot portions of the day. And very young children may not be able to tell adults that they’re feeling heat’s effects.