physical and cognitive development, with long-term implications for a child’s educational outcomes, health and future livelihood.70 In the Philippines, the prevalence of underweight children under five worsened from 2008 to 2015,71 and statistically significant increases in both stunting (to 33 per cent) and wasting (to 7.1 per cent) were observed between 2013 and 2015, reversing previously downwards trends.72 Household income was reported to be one of the main predictors of stunting in children,73 and in a country where agriculture employs approximately 30 per cent of the work force74 – including 57 per cent of the employed poor75 – children living in households reliant on the agricultural sector are acutely vulnerable. Even a 1°C increase in temperature is projected to result in a 10 to 15 per cent drop in agricultural production in the country,76 with knock-on effects in terms of increased food prices likely to be felt by the urban poor as well. Similarly, climate impacts are projected to severely affect the fishing sector, another major economic sector in the Philippines, with significant consequences for food security, livelihoods and the health of children.77 Overall, modelling suggests that an estimated additional 70,000 Filipino children will be malnourished by 2050 due to the impacts of climate change; an increase of 4 per cent.78 Mental health The impacts of climate change can have a profoundly negative effect on children’s mental health. Children that have experienced life-threatening situations and witnessed deaths and injury during and in the aftermath of extreme weather events have a higher chance of developing post-traumatic stress, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and depression.79 The impacts of disasters have also been linked to a reduction in cognitive functioning among children, which is turn is associated with a corresponding increase in the risk of developing future mental health problems.80 Heightened stress in households due to loss of family livelihoods, as well as actual or feared separation from families, the loss of loved ones, and separation from communities and traditional land due to the impacts of climate change are also potential sources of severe mental health problems among children.81 Following Typhoon Haiyan, tens of thousands of Filipino children required psychosocial support, and mental health issues were identified as one of the key barriers preventing an early return to education.82 Furthermore, increased temperatures and poor air quality in urban areas have been linked to alterations in behavioural patterns that can increase stress levels among inhabitants, including a reduction in outdoor activities and recreation. 83 In addition to risks to their health, this has implications for children’s right to rest, leisure and play, as well as their capacity to fulfil their right to develop respect for the natural environment. Air pollution Although air pollution is not caused by climate change, some forms of air pollution cause climate change, and climate change can exacerbate some forms of air pollution such as ozone, which is both a potent greenhouse gas and a powerful respiratory irritant that can cause lung inflammation and exacerbate respiratory illnesses affecting children.84 Indeed, air pollution from indoor and outdoor sources is one of the leading causes of child deaths globally, playing a direct role in causing pneumonia and other respiratory diseases that account for almost one in 10 under-five deaths.85 Other impacts identified include early foetal loss, premature birth, low birthweight, and increased prevalence and incidence of childhood asthma,86 in addition to impacts on cognitive development due to pollutants crossing the bloodbrain barrier.87 For example, studies have shown that pregnant women’s exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a pollutant associated with fossil fuel combustion, affects the white matter of the foetus’ brain significantly, with consequences for future developmental delays, lower verbal IQ and increased signs of anxiety, depression and attention deficits. 88