Rising global temperatures will greatly exacerbate childhood malnutrition in the coming years, according to philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

What’s happening?

The climate crisis is set to cause 40 million more children to suffer from stunted growth and 28 million more to battle wasting between now and 2050, according to a recent Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation report. Reuters broke the news and called wasting and stunted growth the “most extreme and irreversible forms of malnutrition.”

Why is this report important?

Gates said that unless children receive the proper amount of nutrition in utero and through the first few years of life, they can never catch up physically or mentally. Plus, children who lack proper nutrition are more vulnerable to diseases, like measles and malaria, and early death, Reuters pointed out.

“Around 90% of the negative effect of climate change works through the food system,” Gates added. 

That’s because warming global temperatures lead to weather disasters like droughts or too much rain, which can cause crop failures and food shortages. For instance, experts warned about ongoing drought conditions across many parts of the world in late 2023 and early 2024, which threatened food security. Plus, increased heat is expected to slash agricultural productivity in the future, as workers find it too hot to work in the fields.

Gates called for more funding for nutrition initiatives, particularly through the Child Nutrition Fund, and for more research to help solve the problem of childhood malnutrition.

“(Nutrition) was under-researched … It’s eye-opening how important this is,” Gates told Reuters.

What’s being done about an overheating planet?

To ensure that agriculture can keep up with rising global temperatures, scientists are developing new climate-resilient ways to produce food. For instance, a team of researchers has discovered that getting plants “drunk” can help them withstand drought conditions. Meanwhile, some other scientists have developed heat-resistant plants.

Meanwhile, it’s important to limit our planet-heating pollution to ensure a safer world for everyone. For example, Wales is banning most new roadway projects to cut down on carbon pollution. One thing you can do to help is to vote for pro-climate candidates.

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