Mothers and babies at risk from climate change 'blind spot'

Scientists warn of birth complications from extreme heat as pollution worsens in the atmosphere

A woman and baby are rescued from Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines. Scientists say climate change could reverse decades of progress in protecting newborns and their mothers. AP

Global warming puts the health of mothers and babies at risk due to birth complications and food and water shortages linked to extreme heat, scientists warned on Monday.

Progress made across decades in protecting the health of mothers and newborns “is now at risk due to our changing climate”, one expert said. Scientists called it a “blind spot” as they unveiled 10 new findings on the state of the planet.

Extreme heat can also reduce the availability of food and water, forcing new mothers to travel longer distances in dangerous temperatures, scientists said. Food shortages during pregnancy can lead to inadequate nutrition and low birth weight.

The risk of miscarriage can double when working women are exposed to heat and stress, said Jemilah Mahmood, a former health adviser to Malaysia's prime minister and executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health.

The least developed countries with weaker maternal health care will be “doubly affected”, Prof Mahmood told The National. “Because climate change is happening across the globe, you will see that the vulnerable populations will become even more vulnerable.”

One study of working pregnant women in India found that almost half were outside a safe heat threshold. A second survey in three South Asian countries revealed that an increase of just 1°C in average temperatures led to a 4.5 per cent rise in domestic violence. A third set of findings from 33 countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa estimated that floods may be responsible for more than 100,000 pregnancy losses per year.

“These aren't just statistics. They represent real mothers and families bearing the brunt of our changing climate with consequences that can span generations,” Prof Mahmood said. “But here is what should truly shake us: the impact goes beyond direct exposure to climate and extreme weather.

“Climate change creates a cascade of risk for maternal health. When food and water become scarce, new mothers must travel further. When communities are displaced by disasters related to climate change, women lose access to essential health care,” she said.

The 10 new findings were released by groups Future Earth, the Earth League and the World Climate Research Programme ahead of the Cop29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, which opens on November 11. They warned that rising heat and humidity were making large parts of the Earth uninhabitable.

The experts said surging global temperatures were disrupting the Earth's oceans and “pushing the Amazon to the brink of large-scale collapse”. Competition for critical minerals is set to increase and few cities are prepared for the full impact of climate change, they said. They warned that “perceived fairness” is key to whether go-green policies can be accepted by the public.

Greenhouse gas record

Weather forecasters also warned on Monday that pollution in the atmosphere has surged to record levels. CO2 is accumulating “faster than any time experienced during human existence” despite efforts to cut emissions, the World Meteorological Organisation said.

It said the last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of carbon dioxide was three to five million years ago, when the temperature was 2 to 3°C warmer and sea levels were 10 to 20 metres higher than today. CO2 can linger in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, preventing heat from escaping.

“This should set alarm bells ringing among decision makers,” said the World Meteorological Organisation's secretary general, Celeste Saulo. “We are clearly off track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and aiming for 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”