An independent joint commission assembled by WHO, UNICEF and The Lancet has called for immediate action to protect the health of children against the rapidly changing climate and guard them against predatory marketing practices.

The commission, co-chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and Senegalese state minister Awa Marie Coll-Seck, MD, ranked 180 countries on the wellness of their children and their ability to provide a safe climate. The United States did not fare well on either list, barely making the top 40 in child wellness and ranking in the bottom 10 in environmental sustainability.