As students across Europe return to school after another summer of record heat, researchers are drawing attention to a less visible consequence of climate change: its ability to damage children’s educational prospects long before they ever sit at a desk. A review of 254 studies, with 90 forming the core statistical analysis, has found consistent evidence that exposure to extreme weather events during pregnancy and early childhood — including floods, droughts, and unusually high temperatures — is linked to lower birthweight, poorer cognitive development, later school entry, and fewer total years of education.
The mechanisms are often straightforward but severe. When floods destroy harvests or droughts eliminate livelihoods, families have less money for food and healthcare. Pregnant women may eat less, work longer hours, or be unable to reach medical services. Young children, whose brains and bodies are developing rapidly, may lack adequate nutrition or care. Research from Ecuador found that children whose mothers experienced flooding caused by El Niño were more likely to be born underweight, show signs of anaemia, be shorter for their age, and perform worse on tests of thinking and language development. Each additional month of flood exposure during pregnancy was also associated with lower household income and food consumption in the following year. In rural Burkina Faso, children exposed before birth to unusually low rainfall scored lower on cognitive assessments and were more likely to start school late, remain unenrolled, or enter the workforce early.
Heat poses its own risks. A study drawing on data from 29 tropical countries found that children in south-east Asia who experienced temperatures significantly above local averages during their earliest years were predicted to complete around 1.5 fewer years of schooling than peers exposed to average temperatures. The review’s authors note that consequences depend on the timing and severity of each event, as well as a family’s financial resilience. Families with savings, insurance, or access to reliable public services are better placed to recover. For those already living close to poverty, a single climate shock can mean smaller meals, missed medical appointments, or children leaving school to supplement household income.
The research also highlights a stark inequality: the children at greatest risk tend to live in countries that have contributed least to the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming. However, the authors stress that early exposure to a climate shock does not inevitably determine a child’s future. Some studies show children can recover, particularly when supported by effective social protection programmes. Of six studies examining cash transfers provided during climate-related disasters, four found positive effects on educational outcomes. Research from Mexico found that children from families enrolled in the Progresa cash-transfer scheme experienced smaller educational losses following adverse rainfall around the time of their birth compared with those who received no such support.
The findings carry policy implications at a moment when international development budgets face significant pressure. The UK government announced in 2025 that its official development assistance would fall from approximately 0.5% of national income to 0.3% by 2027. The researchers argue that protecting programmes aimed at pregnant women and young children should be treated as a priority, given that the effects of early climate shocks can shape opportunities well into adulthood — long after floodwaters have receded or droughts have ended.