Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Environmental Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envres Children and youth's biopsychosocial wellbeing in the context of energy resource activities Robin S. Cox a, ⁎ , Pamela Irwin a , Leila Scannell a , Michael Ungar b , Trevor Dixon Bennett a a ResiliencebyDesign Research Lab, School of Humanitarian Studies, Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada b Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Children and youth Health Energy extraction Emissions Biopsychosocial impacts ABSTRACT Background: Children and youth emerge as key populations that are impacted by energy resource activities, in part because of their developmental vulnerabilities, as well as the compounding effects of energy systems on their families, communities, and physical environments. While there is a larger literature focused on fossil fuel emissions and children, the impacts of many aspects of energy systems on children and youth remain under examined and scattered throughout the health, social science, and environmental science literatures. Objectives: This systematic interdisciplinary review examines the biological, psychosocial, and economic impacts of energy systems identified through social science research – specifically focused on household and industrial extraction and emissions – on children and youth functioning. Methods: A critical interpretive search of interdisciplinary and international social sciences literature was con- ducted using an adaptive protocol focusing on the biopsychosocial and economic impacts of energy systems on children and youth. The initial results were complemented with a purposeful search to extend the breadth and depth of the final collection of articles. Discussion: Although relatively few studies have specifically focused on children and youth in this context, the majority of this research uncovers a range of negative health impacts that are directly and indirectly related to the development and ongoing operations of natural resource production, particularly oil and gas, coal, and nuclear energy. Psychosocial and cultural effects, however, remain largely unexamined and provide a rich avenue for further research. Conclusions: This synthesis identifies an array of adverse biopsychosocial health outcomes on children and youth of energy resource extraction and emissions, and identifies gaps that will drive future research in this area. 1. Introduction The future of energy resource activities, especially carbon-intensive options such as natural gas and oil, present a major challenge for in- ternational economic and social sustainability. There is global re- cognition that the extraction and use of such energy resources con- tributes to carbon emissions and climate change (e.g., IPCC, 2014a, 2014b). As a result, many countries are working to transform energy systems (development, extraction, production, consumption) and as- sociated social and economic systems. This transition to forms of low- or no-carbon energy alternatives (wind, solar, tide) and low-carbon goods and services based economies are a priority for industry stake- holders as well as international governments’ sustainable development goals (National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy NRT, 2012; OECD, 2015). Such a transformation will require a para- digm shift in the sourcing, extraction, processing, and delivery of energy resources in ways that minimize the negative impacts on hu- mans and their communities, while also supporting sustainable eco- nomic development and individual and collective resilience. Children (0 and 14 years) and youth 15–24 years) emerge as key population groups that are impacted by energy resource activities and global energy choices (United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF, 2013). In some regions, children and youth have been contending with the direct impacts of natural resource extraction on their functioning (Goldenberg et al., 2010), and the functioning of their communities and physical environments (US Environment Protection Agency EPA, 2015). This is important as children and youth are more vulnerable to en- vironmental toxins and hazards than adults because of metabolic, de- velopmental and behavioural factors (Etzel and Balk, 2011). They are also at risk because of the social, economic and other impacts of energy resource activities on the well-being of their families, communities, and physical environments. Despite this, such impacts are relatively http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2017.07.014 Received 17 February 2017; Received in revised form 29 June 2017; Accepted 5 July 2017 ⁎ Correspondence to: School of Humanitarian Studies, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 5Y2. E-mail address: Robin.Cox@RoyalRoads.ca (R.S. Cox). Environmental Research 158 (2017) 499–507 0013-9351/ © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. MARK