Is SWELTERING weather MELTING milestones?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Here’s a HOT take, from Jorge Cuartas and team at New York University.
They tested if warmer climates affected learning in children. They used surveys from nearly twenty thousand children across six countries. When climates hit thirty-two degrees celsius, children’s learning decreased.
Situations in low income communities are worse! Children had a seventy percent lower chance of meeting their developmental milestones.
A world that is too hot to learn affects the most vulnerable communities. Protecting the climate isn’t just about us; it’s an investment in the future!
Sounds like higher temperatures are creating a DRY spell for education.
Reference: Cuartas, J., Balza, L.H., Camacho, A., Gómez‐Parra, N., 2025. Ambient heat and early childhood development: a cross‐national analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.70081