Climate Change and Child Nutrition

Child nutrition, food production, and climate change are inextricably linked. Global food production accelerates climate change through agricultural practices that require large inputs of energy and land while producing significant greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, the current Standard American Diet contributes to child obesity and diet-related illnesses, while climate change, in turn, has deleterious effects on child nutrition through food supply disruptions and changes to the nutritional content of crops. Transitioning toward plant-rich dietary patterns offers benefits for both pediatric and planetary health, and clinicians can play a key role in guiding this shift.