Miscarriages due to climate crisis a ‘blind spot’ in action plans – report
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Increasing climate extremes are causing more lost babies, premature births and cognitive damage to newborns, the report said. For example, a study in India found a doubled risk of miscarriage in pregnant women suffering heat stress, while another in California found a significant association between long-term heat exposure and stillbirth and premature birth.
Flooding is responsible for more than 100,000 lost pregnancies a year in 33 countries in South and Central America, Asia, and Africa, according to another study, with the danger highest for women with lower income and education levels. Rising heat also increases the intimate partner violence suffered by women, a south Asian analysis found.
However, only 27 out of 119 national climate plans submitted to the UN include action related to mothers and newborns, making this a major “blind spot”, the report said.
“Global temperature records continue to break, exacerbating threats to maternal health,” said Prof Jemilah Mahmood at the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Malaysia. She said the breakdown of healthcare services, sanitation and food supplies during extreme weather compounded the problems for pregnant women.
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