By Abbas Nazil
Climate change is exposing Indigenous children around the world to growing health and well-being risks, including malnutrition, infectious diseases, mental health challenges and disruptions to cultural life, according to a global review of 53 studies.
Researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia, The University of Western Australia and Flinders University examined evidence from Indigenous communities across different environmental and geographic settings.
The study, published in Globalization and Health, found that climate-related threats included extreme heat, changing seasonal and oceanic patterns, floods, droughts, air pollution and climate-related disasters.
These exposures were linked to five major health outcomes: psychosocial and cultural well-being, malnutrition, infectious diseases, perinatal health, and illness and death.
The strongest evidence concerned psychosocial and cultural well-being.
Researchers found that environmental changes can disrupt Indigenous children’s connections to land, cultural identity, language, traditional knowledge and cultural practices.
Such disruptions were also associated with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and grief.
Lead author Jaime Turnbull of The Kids Research Institute Australia said climate change should be viewed as both an environmental and child health issue.
She said climate-related impacts do not occur in isolation because changes to the environment can also affect children’s relationships with Country, culture, family and community.
Co-author and Yamatji elder Aunty Dr Mara West said Indigenous children’s health needed to be understood holistically because culture, Country, family and community are closely connected to well-being.
The researchers also warned against viewing Indigenous children solely as vulnerable victims of climate change.
They said meaningful participation by Indigenous children and young people in climate action could strengthen cultural identity, self-determination, intergenerational knowledge transfer and community resilience.
However, the review identified major gaps in existing research.
Almost half of the studies examined did not report findings specifically for Indigenous children, while research was concentrated in a limited number of countries and communities.
The researchers therefore called for more geographically diverse climate-health research that meaningfully involves Indigenous communities and young people.
They said climate policies and health responses should recognise Indigenous knowledge, sovereignty, lived experiences and leadership to achieve more equitable outcomes for children and families.
