Several studies indicate that experiencing low rainfall, warming temperatures or extreme weather events reduce education attainment and that future climate change may reduce children's school participation, particularly for agriculturally dependent and poor urban households. In west and central Africa, experiencing lower-than-average rainfall during early life is associated with up to 1.8 fewer years of completed schooling in adolescence, while more rainfall and milder temperatures during the main agricultural season are positively associated with educational attainment for boys and girls in rural Ethiopia . In Uganda, low rainfall reduced primary school enrolment by 5% for girls , and in Malawi, in utero drought exposure was associated with delayed school entry among boys . In rural Zimbabwe, experiencing drought conditions during the first few years of life was associated with fewer grades of completed schooling in adolescence, which translates into a 14% reduction in lifetime earnings . In Cameroon, warming temperatures have negatively affected plantain yields, which in turn is linked to lower educational attainment . One suggested mechanism underlying the relationship between climate and schooling is that adverse climatic conditions can reduce income among farming households, leading them to pull children out of school . Other potential mechanisms are poor harvests from droughts or supply interruptions from extreme weather events leading to undernutrition among young children, negatively affecting cognitive development and schooling potential .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report