Almost
all of the world's children are exposed to at least one climate hazard, with as
many as 1.8 billion put in danger by droughts and 1.2 billion by extreme heat,
the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report released on
Tuesday.
UNICEF
said children were "disproportionately affected" by a range of
intensifying climate-related risks, and governments urgently need to invest in
infrastructure, adaptation, and disaster management capabilities to reduce
their exposure. The report warned of a "dangerous cascade of multiple,
overlapping hazards" that could overwhelm governments and social services.
The
report found that 1.1 billion children globally are exposed to at least three
overlapping climate risks, with drought, extreme heat, and heatwaves being the
most common combination. The Sahel region of Africa is one of the hardest hit
areas, while children in Asian countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan
face more climate hazards than anywhere else in the world. In 2024, 242 million
children in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards.
"We are asking governments to put children at the centre of their climate action plans," said UNICEF chief Catherine Russell. "Children are the ones who will live with the consequences of decisions made today, and their voices must be heard".
