Extreme Weather and Climate-Related Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Humanitarian Crisis of the 21st Century

Extreme climate/weather events (ECEs) are a potential source of toxic stress for children when faced with displacement, family separation, poverty, violence, and neglect. Children exposed to displacement, neglect or violence due to ECEs may experience what we term ‘Environmentally driven Adverse Childhood Experiences (E-ACEs)’. Although direct evidence on the neurobiological effects of E-ACEs is limited, evidence on traumatic and adverse childhood experiences (TRACEs) has shown an impact on brain and neural development, impairing cognitive and emotional growth, altering the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and leading to long-term stress dysregulation and mental disorders. With the rising number of climate refugees, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), ECEs pose an urgent humanitarian challenge in the 21st century, necessitating climate policies that strengthen community resilience and expand mental health services in disaster-prone regions. This perspective explores what E-ACEs are and their health consequences. We argue that ECEs should be recognized as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and emphasize that resilience-building strategies could play a role in preventing and mitigating their mental health impacts on children and families.