Climate change and adolescents in South Africa: The role of youth activism and the health sector in safeguarding adolescents’ health and education

Chersich, Matthew; Scorgie, Fiona; Wright, Caradee Y.; Mullick, Saiqa; Mathee, Angela; Hess, Jeremy; Richter, Marlise; Rees, Helen

doi:10.7196/samj.2019.v109i9.14327

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Further research is needed to identify effective interventions other than air conditioning. These could potentially include providing cold water at regular prespecified intervals, improved natural ventilation, substituting closed shoes with sandals, using light-coloured, loose clothing, and adapting school hours during the hottest seasons, with either earlier starting times or a longer lunchtime break and later finishing hours (Chersich et al 2019 ). Furthermore, planting trees within the school grounds provides shade and cooling, and other health and environmental benefits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences in secondary school learners in South Africa

Kutywayo

Chersich

Naidoo

et al. 2022

Jàmbá

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Climate change poses a major threat to the future of today’s youth. Globally, young people are at the forefront of climate change activism. Their ability to engage, however, depends on the level of knowledge of climate change and concern about the topic. We sought to examine levels of knowledge and concerns about climate change among youth in South Africa, and their experiences of heat exposure. Ten questions on climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences were nested within a cross-sectional survey conducted in a cluster randomised trial among 924 secondary school learners in 14 public schools in low-income Western Cape areas. Learners’ mean age was 15.8 years and they were predominately female. While 72.0% of respondents knew that climate change leads to higher temperatures, only 59.7% agreed that human activity is responsible for climate change, and 58.0% believed that climate change affects human health. Two thirds (68.7%) said that climate change is a serious issue and 65.9% indicated action is needed for prevention. Few learners indicated climate change events had affected them, although many reported difficulties concentrating during hot weather (72.9%). Female learners had lower knowledge levels than male learners, but more frequent heat-related symptoms. Learners scoring high on knowledge questions expressed the most concern about climate change and had the highest heat impacts. Many youth seem unaware that climate change threatens their future. Heat-related symptoms are common, likely undermining educational performance, especially as temperatures escalate. More is needed to mainstream climate change into South African school curricula.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences in secondary school learners in South Africa

Kutywayo

Chersich

Naidoo

et al. 2022

Jàmbá

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“…Therefore, this paper hopes to develop work in critical [17] and community [18,19] psychology to understand and facilitate how communities mobilise in climate activism. In particular, the study contributes to how African youth can find a sustainable 'new' voice in global climate activism and reclaim power in a space where they have been traditionally marginalised [20,21]. Importantly, the study draws on work focusing on the influence of positive representation on transformative agency among youth climate activists [22].…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reimagining African Women Youth Climate Activism: The Case of Vanessa Nakate

Barnes

2021

Sustainability

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African women youth climate activists are marginalised in mainstream climate activism. There is very little scholarly work done on this group, specifically on how their agency is deployed in the context of extreme undermining. Based on a case study of the activism of Vanessa Nakate, this paper analyses online interviews, media reports and social media interactions. The text was analysed thematically. The paper identifies three social binds (location, gender, and youth) that limit her activism. Importantly, the findings show how she deploys context-dependent agency to overcome those binds. The paper offers practical and theoretical insights for the study of African women climate activism. I argue that understanding and developing personal and political agency is essential for the sustainability of African women youth climate activism.

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“…Starting in the 1990s and gaining momentum, youth activism against climate change has established itself as a driving force against climate change (37). Through organizations such as Fridays For Future (started by Greta Thunberg from Sweden in 2018), the UN, and through legal means (38), the youth of today have an increased ability to voice their concerns and provide their perspectives in the climate change debate.…”

Section: What Can Child Health Professionals Do To Reduce the Impact ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Links Between the Climate Crisis and Child Health

Gozderesi¹,

Özmert²

2021

jchild

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İklim değişikliğinin hem çocuk hem de yetişkin sağlığı üzerinde ciddi etkileri bulunmaktadır. İklim değişikliğinin vücuttaki etkileri, solunum sistemi, sinir sistemi ve bağışıklık sistemi dâhil olmak üzere birçok vücut sisteminde ortaya çıkmaktadır. Sıcaklık artışı, temiz su ve gıdaya erişimdeki yetersizliklerle birlikte biyoçeşitliliğin azalması ve sıcak hava dalgaları gibi olağandışı iklim olayları, bulaşıcı hastalıklarla birlikte, bulaşıcı olmayan hastalıkların görülme sıklığını artırmaktadır. ISSOP(Uluslararası Sosyal Pediatri Derneği), sosyal pediatristlerle ve çocuk sağlığı profesyonelleriyle birlikte, sağlığın korunması ve geliştirilmesi, hastalıkların önlenmesi, tedavi ve rehabilitasyon alanlarında çalışan, bunu yönetim sistemlerine ve politika yapım süreçlerine katılım sağlama ve rehber dokumanlar yayınlama yoluyla yapan uluslararası bir dernektir. "İklim Değişikliğinin Çocuklar Üzerindeki Etkisine Karşılık Verebilmek" seminer serisi, ISSOP'un iklim değişikliğinin önemini ve çocuk sağlığı üzerindeki olumsuz etkilerini öne çıkarmayı amaçlayan küresel bir girişimidir. Bu kapsamda 2021 yılının Şubat ve Eylül ayları arasında ikişer saatlik sekiz yapılandırılmış seminer düzenlendi. Bu derlemede, seminer serisinin konuları özetlenerek çocuk sağlığı profesyonellerine akademik ve klinik uygulamalarında kullanabilecekleri öneriler sunulmaktadır. İklim değişikliğinin özellikle çocuk sağlığı üzerindeki etkileri, iklim değişikliği kaynaklı artan eşitsizlik ve adaletsizlikler, gençlerin iklim değişikliğine verilen yanıttaki temel rolü ve iklim değişikliğinin sağlık eğitimine entegrasyonu tartışılacaktır. İklim değişikliği bir halk sağlığı acilidir ve herkesin harekete geçmesini gerektirmektedir. Sağlık profesyonelleri, toplum tarafından saygı ve güven duyulan bir mesleğin üyeleri olarak, iklim değişikliğinin olumsuz sağlık sonuçlarından haberdar olmalı ve toplumda bilgilendirici bir rol oynamalıdır. Bu sonuçların çocuk sağlığına olumsuz etkileri, iklim değişikliğine ilişkin toplumsal farkındalığın artırılması, ilgili önlemlerin alınması, ebeveynlerin ve çocuk sağlığı profesyonellerinin iklim değişikliği uyum ve azaltım stratejilerini uygulaması yoluyla hafifletilebilir.

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Climate change and adolescents in South Africa: The role of youth activism and the health sector in safeguarding adolescents’ health and education

Cited by 11 publications

References 41 publications

Climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences in secondary school learners in South Africa

Climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences in secondary school learners in South Africa

Reimagining African Women Youth Climate Activism: The Case of Vanessa Nakate

Understanding the Links Between the Climate Crisis and Child Health

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