Editor's Pick | MWCD-commissioned study highlights impact of climate change on women, children

According to an internal study exclusively accessed by The Hindu, women and children in Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana are particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. The study was commissioned by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It identifies climate and health hotspots in order to specifically understand the impact of floods, cyclones and droughts on health of women and children. The study explains that children exposed to climate hazards are more likely to be stunted, underweight and more vulnerable to early pregnancies. In April, Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), and former chief scientist of World Health Organization, speaking on the sidelines of the WomenLift Health Global Conference 2024 at Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), referred to their study and observed that up to 70% of Indian districts were at a “very high risk” of floods, droughts, and cyclones. Ms Swaminathan had added, “Women and children’s under-nutrition, teenage pregnancy and domestic violence indicators in these hotspots are also very stark.” Furthermore, in a recent conversation with The Hindu, she stated that issues concerning the impact of climate change on women and children is “under-researched” and often overlooked in policy formulation. The document presented to the Ministry also highlighted certain limitations. These relate to reliance on secondary data sources, with limited empirical insights into the health aspects of women affected by climate change. It also mentioned about a key gap in evidence, to understand differential factors behind children’s vulnerability to heatwaves, and to develop a systematic method to measure children’s exposure to heatwaves, and relatively less research attention has been paid to this area of inquiry, particularly in India. The Hindu Explains What are the rules on contesting seats? | Explained How is India streamlining the pharma sector? The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who is the Janata Dal (Secular) State President in Karnataka? H.D. Kumaraswamy G. Devaraje Gowda Krishna Byre Gowda H.D Deve Gowda To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 12 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] [EP Logo] Editor's Pick 12 May 2024 In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( MWCD-commissioned study highlights impact of climate change on women, children According to an internal study exclusively accessed by The Hindu, women and children in Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Telangana are particularly [vulnerable to climate-related disasters.]( The study was commissioned by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It identifies climate and health hotspots in order to specifically understand the impact of floods, cyclones and droughts on health of women and children.  The study explains that children exposed to climate hazards are more likely to be stunted, underweight and more vulnerable to early pregnancies. In April, Soumya Swaminathan, chairperson, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), and former chief scientist of World Health Organization, speaking on the sidelines of the WomenLift Health Global Conference 2024 at Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), referred to their study and observed that up to 70% of Indian districts were at a “very high risk” of floods, droughts, and cyclones. Ms Swaminathan had added, “Women and children’s under-nutrition, teenage pregnancy and domestic violence indicators in these hotspots are also very stark.” Furthermore, in a recent conversation with The Hindu, she stated that issues concerning the impact of climate change on women and children is “under-researched” and often overlooked in policy formulation. The document presented to the Ministry also highlighted certain limitations. These relate to reliance on secondary data sources, with limited empirical insights into the health aspects of women affected by climate change. It also mentioned about a key gap in evidence, to understand differential factors behind children’s vulnerability to heatwaves, and to develop a systematic method to measure children’s exposure to heatwaves, and relatively less research attention has been paid to this area of inquiry, particularly in India. The Hindu Explains [Arrow][What are the rules on contesting seats? | ExplainedÂ]( [Arrow][How is India streamlining the pharma sector?]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who is the Janata Dal (Secular) State President in Karnataka? - H.D. Kumaraswamy - G. 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