Extreme climate events including heat waves, flooding and drought can be dangerous for anyone, but pregnant women and their babies are particularly vulnerable, according to a new report. Researchers warn that the threats climate change poses to women and babies could reverse the progress made on maternal health in the last few decades.
The report, the latest in the “10 New Insights in Climate Science” series compiled annually, was published Oct. 28 ahead of the United Nations climate change conference COP29. More than 80 researchers from 45 countries collaborated on the report in association in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The 2024 report finds that climate change is having both direct and indirect effects on pregnant women, fetuses and newborn babies. Extreme heat is associated with stillbirth, preterm delivery and preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy condition characterized by high blood pressure. Extreme heat is also associated with higher risk of complications for babies in the womb. The report highlights a study from India that found the risk of miscarriage for women working in extreme heat conditions is roughly twice that of pregnant women who do not work in extreme heat. As global temperatures continue to rise amid climate change, many women in tropical countries exposed to occupational heat stress will face a similar threat, the report says.
Extreme heat is also associated with safety risks for women themselves. A study of three countries in South Asia found that a 1° Celsius (1.8° Fahrenheit) increase in annual mean temperature was associated with a 4.5% increase in intimate partner violence.
Increased heat and associated drought can also reduce access to food and water during pregnancy, a time when women need more of both, the report says. Food insecurity is linked to reduced nutrition during pregnancy, lower birth weight and reduced production of breast milk, all of which can set a child up for health and developmental challenges later in life.
Extreme weather events, such as flooding, are also risk factors. A recent study of 33 countries across the Global South found roughly 107,000 pregnancies were lost each year across the region during floods. Such displacement has been linked to inadequate medical care, poor nutrition, lack of social services, reduced rest and inadequate sanitation.
The risk associated with climate change during pregnancy is “particularly acute in climate-vulnerable nations as it’s compounded with limited access to education and low incomes, in addition to the breakdown of critical infrastructure which further compromises food security, sanitation and healthcare services,” Jemilah Mahmood, executive director of the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, said in a press release.
To improve the safety and health outcomes for pregnant women, the report advocates for educational programs to raise awareness about the danger of heat during pregnancy and institutionalized labor guidelines to protect working women during extreme heat events.
Banner image Women in Bongouanou, Côte d’Ivoire, during a prenatal medical consultation. Image courtesy of U.N. Photo via Flickr.
