Climate Change Threatens Children's Lives: Urgent Action Required

Strategic Insights -

Climate change is exacerbating its devastating impact on the world's most vulnerable population - children. A new report by Save the Children International (SCI) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) reveals that limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2100 could spare up to 38 million children from a lifetime of exposure to extreme heat. However, under current climate commitments, approximately 100 million children born in 2020 will face unprecedented heat exposure. The report warns that climate-induced heat waves pose a lethal risk to children, affecting their physical and mental health, food and water access, and educational opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

  • Up to 38 million children could be spared a lifetime of extreme heat exposure if global leaders meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2100.
  • Under present commitments, approximately 100 million of the 120 million children born in 2020 will face unprecedented lifetime exposure to extreme heat, affecting 83% of them.
  • Climate change poses significant risks to human health, including increased risk of extreme heat, heat-related illnesses, and waterborne diseases.
  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that climate change can alter the distribution and seasonality of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever, increasing the risk of outbreaks in previously unaffected areas.
  • The United Nations Children's Fund (UNIUCEF) notes that approximately one billion children live in countries at an extremely high-risk from the impacts of climate change.
  • Children's rights are being infringed upon by climate change, threatening their survival, water access, health, education, and participation.
  • The IPCC warns that global greenhouse gas emissions need to be halved by 2030 and cut to zero by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
  • Urgent, transformative action is required to protect children from climate-related impacts and reduce emissions.

Statistics:

  • Up to 38 million children could be spared a lifetime of extreme heat exposure if global leaders meet the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2100.
  • Approximately 100 million children born in 2020 will face unprecedented lifetime exposure to extreme heat under current climate commitments, affecting 83% of them.
  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that climate change can result in:

+ 152,000 people dying from heat stress each year.

+ 250,000 people suffering from heat-related illnesses each year.

+ 13.6 million children dying from malnutrition between 2000 and 2009.

  • Approximately one billion children live in countries at an extremely high-risk from the impacts of climate change.

Sources:

  • Save the Children International (SCI) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) report: "Born into the Climate Crisis 2: An Unprecedented Life - Protecting Children's Rights in a Changing Climate"
  • World Health Organisation (WHO)
  • United Nations Children's Fund (UNIUCEF)
  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)