A U.N.-sponsored study has sounded the alarm on a “silent emergency” of preterm birth rates variously attributed to “climate change” amongst a host of other factors.
The report titled Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth was produced by the combined efforts of the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Overall, it finds preterm birth rates have not changed in any region in the world in the past decade, with 152 million vulnerable babies born too soon from 2010 to 2020.
The report highlights the impacts of conflict, coronavirus, and rising living costs as increasing risks for women and babies everywhere.
Climate change and consequent environmental damage are added to the possible threats to babies with India, China, and Pakistan pinpointed as the three main sites of dangerous preterm births.
The analysis comes as the earth’s population and its impact on birth rates and environment is again a subject of discussion.
The report points to air pollution in India, China, and Pakistan as impacting the climate while delivering attendant risks to expectant mothers and their expected children.
Some six million preterm births each year can be attributed to that factor, the report said.
Nearly one in 10 preterm babies are born in the 10 most fragile countries affected by humanitarian crises, according to new analysis in the report.
This is no the first time climate, children and birth rates have been intertwined.
Left-wing Hollywood director Judd Apatow stated in 2019 that by ignoring climate change “We are murdering our children,” as Breitbart News reported.
“We are murdering our children. It’s as simple as that. The President could care less,” Apatow said on social media.
The Girls producer and comedian was responding to a tweet shared by CNN’s Brian Stelter, in which an NPR article was shared linking children and climate.
The new ‘Born Too Soon: Decade of Action on Preterm Birth’ report can be found in full here