site.btaHow Children’s Lives May Change in Shadow of Climate Change – Expert's Insights

Climate change affects children’s everyday lives, influencing both their physical health and mental well-being. Education is often among the first areas where these effects become visible, says climate policy expert Apostol Dyankov, who explains how extreme weather events impact people’s lives — with the youngest citizens being the most vulnerable.

In one extreme event, a recent flooding along Bulgaria's southern Black Sea coast, which claimed four lives, caused classes to be either cancelled or moved online.

“Even under normal conditions, balancing work, family and school is difficult enough,” Dyankov comments. “Under the influence of climate change, our daily rhythm is disrupted more and more often.” According to him, climate change in Bulgaria has long been a slow and almost invisible process — until its consequences arrive suddenly and dramatically.

Society and institutions tend to focus on floods and wildfires, Dyankov notes, but the real threat lies in long-term trends such as drought, prolonged heatwaves, and even the spread of new disease-carrying or invasive species.

Signs of stress

The accumulated heat stress, which now begins as early as May and June, disrupts children’s sleep and concentration, Dyankov says. Sudden changes in weather also create additional stress for both pupils and parents.

Parents often share that dressing children appropriately has become a challenge — sending them out in the morning in a thick jacket, only for the afternoon to bring soaring temperatures when a T-shirt would do.

“This sense of capricious weather — huge daily temperature swings even in late autumn or winter — makes it hard to know how many layers to wear,” Dyankov explains. “We also see torrential and sudden downpours that are difficult to predict locally. Sometimes children get soaked in the schoolyard before they can run back to class,” he adds.

According to the expert, children are less physically and psychologically prepared for extreme weather. Heatwaves, floods and even the increased spread of ticks due to warmer weather primarily affect them. Air quality also worsens — pollution caused by temperature inversions and forest fires harms children in particular, Dyankov stresses, since harmful particles concentrate closer to the ground where children breathe.

Winters without snow or summers without sun?

“I don’t think Bulgaria will see snowless winters anytime soon — children can rest assured,” Dyankov says when asked whether we might face snowless winters or unusually cool summers.

“In recent years, winters have been warmer than normal, with more frequent mild spells, though these are followed by fairly cold periods,” he explains. “Scientific data suggest that this may be partly due to the weakening of atmospheric currents responsible for air circulation at our latitudes — making both cold snaps and warm spells last longer.”

Snow will continue to fall in Bulgaria’s mountains, though ski seasons may become shorter, less predictable and more dangerous because of melting and avalanches. “Children won’t forget what snow looks like,” he adds, “but we may all develop a slightly different sense of the seasons — no longer taking seasonal weather for granted.”

Unfortunately, Dyankov points out, in some parts of Europe — such as Scandinavia and the Netherlands — warming trends are already changing traditions. In these countries, children can no longer safely enjoy classic winter activities like skating on frozen canals or cross-country skiing across the plains.

Towards more climate-adapted schools

When discussing school infrastructure, Dyankov identifies two main issues — predictability and cost. He expresses hope that “wood holidays” (school closures due to lack of heating) will soon be a thing of the past, thanks to programmes replacing outdated heating systems. The most efficient solutions, he says, are automated ventilation systems and heat pumps that maintain comfort throughout the year.

Dyankov also highlights the importance of monitoring air quality in classrooms. Measuring CO₂ levels not only improves learning conditions but also has an educational purpose, helping pupils understand the role of carbon dioxide in climate processes.

“If schools install CO₂ sensors, they can reduce fatigue while also showing the ‘baseline’ concentration of this gas, which unfortunately keeps rising — currently around 425 parts per million, while it should ideally return to no more than 350. In classrooms, it must certainly stay below 1,000,” he explains.

The expert believes schools can play an active role in adapting to climate change. This means tackling the urban heat island effect through green or light-coloured roofs, more shaded areas in schoolyards, and clear protocols to prevent pupils from going outdoors during extreme heat. Nature-based solutions such as rain gardens and urban gardening are not only practical but also educational, he adds.

“Urban gardening is already practised in many Bulgarian schools — which is wonderful,” Dyankov says. “Interestingly, classrooms and homes can include plants like lavender that naturally repel mosquitoes. When pupils help plant and care for trees and shrubs, they develop a stronger connection with nature as a whole.”

From an adaptation perspective, Dyankov suggests reducing the local impact of the urban heat island by turning bitumen roofs into green roofs or, at the very least, painting them white. Sports areas should have shading for hot days, and there should be designated times when children are kept indoors — just as in some cities this is done when air quality is poor. Rain gardens, he adds, are an excellent nature-based measure: they retain water, help it soak into the soil evenly, and serve as educational tools.

A shared responsibility

Cooperation between parents and children, teachers and pupils, school administrations and local authorities — combined with sound national policies — can help build more resilient educational infrastructure capable of coping with climate change, Dyankov concludes.

He warns, however, that public and institutional attention to the impact of climate change on children is still insufficient. In adaptation strategies, the topic is usually covered under broad categories like “human health” or “vulnerable groups”, but the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children are rarely addressed directly. “It’s time for that to change,” he says.

The article was produced as part of the Climate Laboratory initiative organized by the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria and the Climateka information platform.