Health, 36 scientific societies for a child-friendly environment, Ambo is born

Climate change and pollution (closely interconnected) are threatening the well-being of future generations, making concrete action more urgent than ever. To help respond to this challenge, the Alliance for a Child-Friendly Environment (Ambo) was born, an initiative led by the Italian Society of Pediatrics (Sip), and which unites, in the pediatric area, 36 scientific societies and associations, as well as working groups and individual experts, in a joint action for a healthier and safer future for children.

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, due to malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria and heat stress, the climate crisis will cause 250,000 more deaths per year with a cost of 2-4 billion dollars per year, and that children under 5 will pay the highest price in both developing and developed countries. The Ambo project is based on these data and aims to stimulate, in collaboration with national and local institutions, the development of concrete initiatives aimed at improving pediatric health. The alliance will address crucial issues such as climate change, pollution, endocrine disruptors, electromagnetic waves and exposure to cell phones from early childhood. The goal is to create guidelines and educational materials for families, train pediatricians and health personnel involved in child care. Ambo will also propose recommendations to reduce the exposure of women and newborns to endocrine disruptors in neonatology, given the particular sensitivity to toxic effects in the perinatal period. Finally, research projects will be developed on specific topics involving developmental age.

“We can no longer afford to ignore the impact of the environment on children’s health. Ambo represents a concrete commitment to reverse the trend”, says the president of SIP, Annamaria Staiano.

“Pediatricians and healthcare professionals must consider themselves co-responsible for health in developmental age, contributing to spreading correct knowledge of the consequences of incorrect attitudes”, say the coordinators of Ambo Sergio Bernasconi and Gianni Bona. “More than ever, a joint and concrete action of the various associations and scientific societies in the pediatric area is necessary, with the strong involvement of political decision-makers and local administrators”.

The information materials produced by Ambo will be made available to healthcare personnel and families through the website of the Italian Society of Pediatrics and the scientific societies and associations involved.