Heather Randell|Clark Gray
Climate change and educational attainment in the global tropics
National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center|University of Maryland, College Park|University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
climate change may negatively impact education among children via exposure extreme temperature precipitation conditions link census data 29 countries across global tropics highresolution gridded climate data understand climatic conditions experienced utero early childhood affect educational attainment ages 12 16 show exposure higherthanaverage temperatures prenatal earlylife period associated fewer years schooling southeast asia region child experiences temperatures 2 sds average predicted attain 15 fewer years schooling one experiences average temperatures addition earlylife rainfall positively correlated attainment west central africa well southeast asia negatively correlated attainment central america caribbean expected children educated households would buffered effects discover tend experience greatest educational penalties exposed hotter earlylife conditions regions drier conditions example among educated households west central africa predicted schooling 18 years lower children experience earlylife rainfall 2 sds average versus 2 sds average difference 08 years children least educated households results suggest development educational gains tropics could undermined climate change even betteroff households