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Cumulative exposure to urban heat can affect the learning capacity of students and penalize the vulnerable and low-income young population: A systematic review

K. Vasilakopoulou,Matthaios Santamouris

Published 2025 in PLOS Climate

ABSTRACT

Elevated temperatures pose significant threats to human health, with young people particularly susceptible to impaired cognitive performance and increased mental health risks. Prolonged exposure to heat may compound these effects, especially in educational settings. This systematic review synthesizes existing research on the long-term and cumulative effects of heat stress on students’ cognitive performance. It evaluates the scale and mechanisms of cognitive decline, explores adaptation strategies and technologies designed to mitigate these impacts, and examines social and economic disparities in vulnerability to heat. The review also considers projections of future overheating and its cognitive consequences. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed studies published in English between 2009 and December 2024. Inclusion criteria focused on research examining prolonged temperature exposure effects on school and university students’ learning capacity, socioeconomic inequalities, applied adaptation measures, and future climate-related cognitive risks. Studies focused on short-term heat effects, clinical trials, theses, and reviews were excluded. Eligible studies were selected for their large sample sizes and methodological robustness to minimize bias. The findings were synthesized narratively. Seven studies from six articles, encompassing data on nearly 14.5 million students across 61 countries, met the inclusion criteria. Long-term heat exposure was found to impair students’ cumulative learning, with complex tasks (e.g., mathematics) more affected than simpler ones (e.g., reading). Adaptation via acclimatization and increased air conditioning use showed protective effects. However, lower socioeconomic groups faced disproportionately greater impacts, underlining critical inequalities. As global temperatures rise, these disparities may widen. The review notes challenges related to methodological differences and population heterogeneity across studies (S1 Checklist).

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