A recent study conducted across 29 low- and middle-income countries, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, has revealed significant impacts of climate change on newborn mortality due to temperature extremes. Between 2001 and 2019, researchers found that over 4% of newborn deaths in these regions were attributable to extreme temperatures influenced by climate change. Specifically, approximately 1.5% of annual newborn deaths were linked to extreme heat, while nearly 3% were associated with extreme cold.
Climate change has been estimated to contribute to about 32% of heat-related newborn deaths during this period, amounting to over 175,000 fatalities, as projected by researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany, and an international team.
Conversely, the study also identified that climate change has reduced the risk of newborn deaths related to cold temperatures by more than 30%, preventing approximately 457,000 deaths. These findings were detailed in the journal Nature Communications.
Over the examined period, average annual temperatures in the 29 countries rose by 0.9 degrees Celsius, a trend attributed to climate change. Sub-Saharan African nations experienced the most pronounced impact of rising temperatures on newborn mortality.
The study highlighted Pakistan, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria as the nations with the highest total infant mortality rates. These countries also reported the highest rates of newborn deaths linked to high temperatures, exceeding 160 per 100,000 live births, based on data from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), covering over 40,000 newborn deaths.
Newborn infants are particularly vulnerable to temperature extremes due to their underdeveloped mechanisms for regulating body heat, rapid metabolism, and limited ability to sweat.
In 2019 alone, studies indicated approximately 2.4 million newborn deaths, constituting nearly half (47%) of all deaths among children under five globally. The majority of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.