Interlinkages between Climate Change and Food Systems: The Impact on Child Malnutrition-Narrative Review

Abstract

The pandemics of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change represent severe threats to child health. They co-occur; interact with each other to produce sequelae at biological, psychological, or social levels; and share common underlying drivers. In this paper, we review the key issues concerning child diet and nutritional status, focusing on the interactions with climate and food systems. Inadequate infant and young child feeding practices, food insecurity, poverty, and limited access to health services are the leading causes of malnutrition across generations. Food system industrialization and globalization lead to a double burden of malnutrition, whereby undernutrition (i.e., stunting, wasting, and deficiencies in micronutrients) coexists with overweight and obesity, as well as to harmful effects on climate. Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are worsening child malnutrition, impacting the main underlying causes (i.e., household food security, dietary diversity, nutrient quality, and access to maternal and child health), as well as the social, economic, and political factors determining food security and nutrition (livelihoods, income, infrastructure resources, and political context). Existing interventions have the potential to be further scaled-up to concurrently address undernutrition, overnutrition, and climate change by cross-cutting education, agriculture, food systems, and social safety nets. Several stakeholders must work co-operatively to improve global sustainable nutrition.

Keywords: COVID-19; breastfeeding; children; climate change; complementary feeding; food system; obesity; socioeconomic inequalities; sustainable nutrition; undernutrition.

Figure 1

Poor infant and young child feeding practices: drivers and impacts on individual and societal health in the short and long term.

Figure 2

The interrelated inputs, outcomes, and feedback between the food system, climate, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through their impact on environmental outcomes (i.e., biodiversity and soil, air, and water quality), climate inputs (i.e., weather patterns and temperature) influence food systems in terms of food production and security and, ultimately, feeding practices. Conversely, food systems (i.e., patterns of food production and consumption) affect both human and environmental health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the weaknesses of the food system–climate–health net.