Approximately 100 million out of an estimated 120 million children born in 2020 confront “unparalleled” vulnerability to intense heat based on the global climate commitments currently in place.
That’s according to a new report from international charity Save the Children, which shows the huge difference that keeping to the globally-agreed target of
1.5°C
warming beyond pre-industrial levels might cause
Almost
ten years
Following the inclusion of this objective in the Paris Agreement, nations’ climate strategies were projected to result in a temperature increase of 2.7°C. Given that these pledges are not being fulfilled, global warming is now expected to reach approximately this level.
3.1°C
of warming.
“Children around the globe are unfairly bearing the burden of a crisis they did not cause,” states Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International.
Dangerous heat
which endangers their health and education;
cyclones
battering their homes and schools; insidiously advancing
droughts
that cause crops to wither and reduce what ends up on people’s plates.
In the midst of this constant stream of calamities, children implore us not to tune out.
Launched today by the charitable organization along with researchers from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB),
the report
determines that achieving 1.5°C would decrease the number of current five-year-olds affected by severe heat to 62 million, which is a reduction of 38 million individuals. This represents nearly one-third of all five-year-old children.
What effects will global warming have on children?
Heatwaves have an uneven effect on the health of young children, raising their chances of becoming dehydrated, developing respiratory issues, and even facing increased risk of death.
Intense heat also hinders the availability of food and clean water and compels schools to shut down — as was the case for two weeks.
South Sudan
Earlier this year, following incidents where several students fell unconscious at their desks.
Based on present national climate commitments—which project a global temperature increase of around 2.7°C by the year 2100—even those individuals born in 1960 can expect to experience previously unseen levels of heatwaves throughout their lifetimes across regions such as the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia.
Children born across every part of the globe in 2020 encounter unparalleled levels of exposure to
heatwaves
.
The researchers described “unprecedented” exposure as encountering extreme weather conditions that one would likely face with less than a 1 in 10,000 probability over their lifetime in an environment unaffected by human-caused climate change.
Achieving the 1.5°C objective would safeguard millions of children born in 2020 from the worst effects of various climate-related catastrophes as well, such as crop failures, flooding, tropical storms, droughts, and wildfires.
How do kids comment on the climate crisis?
A 16-year-old named Denise (whose real name has been withheld for privacy reasons) along with her family was compelled to leave their residence.
Brazil
Last year, when the nation experienced its most severe flooding in eight decades, it ravaged their community.
Their house, with Denise’s bedroom included, suffered extensive damage, keeping her away from school for almost two months.
It truly had an impact on both my mental well-being and academic performance,” Denise explains. “Trying to catch up with all my grades to make it through secondary school was extremely challenging, particularly since I attended a public institution. This greatly influenced my studies; my marks fell considerably following the flooding.
Unavoidably, it is the children impacted by inequality and those living in low- and middle-income nations who suffer most from climate extremes. These families have a harder time dealing with weather-related disruptions, and they face an increased threat of illnesses spread through vectors or contaminated water, as well as food shortages and malnourishment.
Haruka, who is also 16 years old, comes from
Vanuatu
, which recently faced three of the most intense cyclones within a single year.
“Cyclones are terrifying. They keep destroying my home annually—I’ve stopped bothering with repairs, even for the ceiling,” she remarks.
In recent years, I have witnessed unending devastation followed by continuous reconstruction. This perpetual loop has turned into our everyday existence, yet many individuals remain oblivious that this isn’t merely nature taking its course; rather, we are enduring the impact of a crisis we didn’t bring about.
Around five million children born in 2020 would be spared unprecedented lifetime exposure to tropical cyclones, the report finds, if the world manages to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C rather than 2.7°C.
A similar number would avoid unprecedented lifetime exposure to river floods.
How can policy-makers put children at the heart of climate action?
“This new research shows there is still hope, but only if we act urgently and ambitiously to rapidly limit warming temperatures to 1.5°C, and truly put
children
“At every level, this approach places front and center our response to climate change,” according to Ingersen.
Essentially, the charity is urging for an accelerated elimination of fossil fuels, with wealthier nations and those historically responsible for higher emissions taking the lead.
It also aims for a significant shift in how provisions are made.
adaptation
and
loss and damage
Funding should include new climate finances that focus on essential child-related services—such as healthcare and nutrition, water supply, sanitation facilities, hygiene practices, education, child safeguarding, and social welfare support.
Save the Children emphasizes that children should be at the forefront of global climate initiatives, including within newly developed strategies.
Nationally Determined Contributions
(NDCs) scheduled for submission this year.
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