Climate change brings large negative impacts on human health, yet most previous studies focus on temperature and precipitation extreme events. Growing ocean salinity could generate heavier burdens for women and children with limited resources through physiological and socio-economic impacts. Health-seeking behaviour could help to alleviate the shock, but the actual impact is still under exploration.

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Amanda Guimbeau of the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, and colleagues analysed the early-life health impacts caused by in utero exposure to increasing ocean salinity. They focused on the coastal belt of Bangladesh, which is one of the most affected areas from saltwater intrusion. By combining gridded data on salinity and children’s outcomes, the authors find that a 1-standard-deviation increase in in utero salinity exposure leads to a 0.11-standard-deviation decline in height-for-age, as well as weight-for-height and weight-for-age for a similar magnitude. Higher salinity levels will restrict farmers’ profitability and productivity, which further constrains their adaptation ability, such as capacity, or investments for prenatal and antenatal care. Such effect is heightened in areas with lower agricultural intensity and the progressive salinization of the productive lands.

Original reference: J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 125, 102954 (2024)