Extreme heat puts children’s health at risk
In a recent UNICEF analysis, the number of days which exceeded an average temperature of 35°C in 1960 were compared with such days in 2020-24. It was discovered that 466 million children currently live in areas that experience at least double the number of extremely hot days every year compared to children living 60 years ago. That’s 1 in 5 children. Children in 16 countries are experiencing over a month’s worth of additional extremely hot days each year compared to their peers in the 1960’s. The analysis provides a clear and concerning warning on the speed at which extremely hot days are increasing for almost half a billion children around the world, and perhaps the worst part is that many of these children do not have the means to endure such high temperatures.
Exposure to extreme heat poses several threats to human health due to heat stress. Not only can heat stress lead to child malnutrition, heat-related illnesses can also increase children’s vulnerability to other diseases that thrive and spread in high temperatures. Such diseases include dengue and malaria, which can prove to be life-threatening without proper healthcare. There is also evidence to prove that extreme heat can impact neurodevelopment and children’s mental health and wellbeing. The effect of extreme heat and any other climate-related hazard on children is also worsened by how they affect food and water security, damage infrastructure and cause climate displacement. Additionally, extreme heat can affect pregnant women, leading to pregnancy complications which can thereby affect birth as well. Adverse effects include low birth weight, premature birth, or even stillbirths.
According to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, “Extreme heat is increasing, disrupting children’s health, wellbeing and daily routines.” She also adds, “Children are not little adults. Their bodies are far more vulnerable to extreme heat. Young bodies heat up faster and cool down more slowly. Extreme heat is especially risky for babies due to their faster heart rate, so rising temperatures are even more alarming for children.”
Countries that are committed to the Paris Agreement will be submitting new national climate plans to meet the goals of the agreement. The need for bolder and more ambitious climate action has never been more crucial, with the health of all future generations now on the line.
Japan on recycling food waste
Due to the country’s small size and lack of arable land, Japan relies heavily upon imports for both its food and livestock feed. Yet, each year, the country produces around 28.4 million tonnes of food waste. This results in both higher food prices for imported food as well as higher taxes to pay for waste incineration, costing about 800 billion yen ($5.4 million) annually. Around 40% of incinerated waste in Japan is food, which also produces large amounts of greenhouse gases and air pollution. This contributes to Japan’s ranking as the 5th largest greenhouse gases emitter in the world. One man, Koichi Takahashi, has found a unique solution to help tackle Japan’s food waste problem, while at the same time being environmentally friendly as well.
Takahashi founded the Japan Food Ecology Center with the hope of “changing society” and “building a model project for the circular economy”. Located in the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa, the centre utilises an ancient technique to transform food waste into sustainable pig feed: fermentation. After many failed attempts, Takahashi, working with researchers from the government, universities and national institutes, has refined the process. After being inspected for contamination, food scraps are chopped and crushed to produce a liquid mixture, which is then sterilised and left in a tank, utilising the bacteria found in lactic acid to ferment. These batches of “ecofeed” can also be adjusted based on different caloric and nutritional requirements.
Takahashi’s ecofeed not only produces a higher quality of pork, it’s also much better for the environment: the manufacturing process produces 70% less greenhouse gas emissions compared to the same amount of imported feed. Not only that, the ecofeed also costs half the price of conventional feed, making it a much better option for farmers.
After years of lobbying, the government has allowed Takahashi to bring his centre’s recycling loop system to the market. Coming from various supermarkets, department stores and manufacturers, the centre charges lower fees to accept food waste compared to incinerators. Today, the centre processes up to 40 tonnes of food waste every day, with a mere 3-5% product loss. Over 1 million tonnes of ecofeed is produced each year.
Last year, Takahashi expanded his business to now include biogas production using food waste that isn’t suitable for pig feed. Produced from methane fermentation, Takahashi sells the electricity produced back to the grid, even using the excess heat from the generator to dry solid byproducts to make fertiliser.
The Japan Food Ecology Center centre is now an example for other facilities in Japan. According to Takahashi, they are “subverting the conventional notion that environmental efforts don't pay, or that recycling is just too expensive", thus proving that "an ecological, sustainable effort can be profitable".
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