How does extreme heat impact children in cities?
Impacts of Extreme Heat on Early Childhood Health and Development Masterclass
Dr Lindsey Burghardt, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
"There are adverse long term health outcomes associated with exposure to extreme heat such as impaired cognition, reduced growth, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, all of which have huge costs to health care"
Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, Chief Science Officer Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
In this exclusive masterclass presented by the Van Leer Foundation, the Urban95 Academy at the LSE and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, Dr Lindsey Burghardt, Chief Science Officer at the Center on the Developing Child explores the physiological social and emotional impacts extreme heat has on children’s developing bodies and minds.
Dr. Burghardt shares research on how the human body responds to excessive heat, the effects of exposure to high temperatures during pregnancy and early childhood and how heat amplifies systematic inequalities such as air quality, access to nutritious foods and structural disadvantages.
The session, which was delivered to Urban95 Academy alumni delves into direct and indirect impacts of heat on children and caregivers. It also explores strategies to mitigate negative outcomes and implications for new directions in urban policy.
We are pleased to make the recording of the masterclass free and available to a wider audience.
You can read a working paper on how extreme heat affects early childhood development here:
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/working-paper/heat-paper/
