Nearly half the children in the world today — approximately 1 billion — live in countries that have a high risk of environmental disaster, posing threats of everything from heat waves to floods.
What's happening?
In its 2024 State of the World's Children Report, the United Nations' children's fund found that the key threat facing children today is the environment itself — specifically, the effects of a warming planet.
With global heating causing weather events to grow more and more severe, it was found that eight times as many children will face exposure to extreme heat waves in the 2050s as compared to children in the 2000s. Three times as many will be threatened by river floods, and many more will face disasters like wildfires, droughts, and tropical cyclones.
But the list of dangers doesn't end there. As the Guardian reported, "Even before they take their first breath, children's brains, lungs and immune systems are susceptible to pollution, disease and extreme weather" — all of which are amplified by a hotter planet.
For example, mosquitoes are thriving in the warmer environment and increasing in population, further spreading diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Air pollution, which has been linked to climate change, is already the leading cause of death in children under five, per the 2024 State of Global Air report.
Why is this so concerning?
The key issue, officials warn, is that not only do children face immediate risks, but the ripple effects will endure long into the future.
Living through weather disasters can impact everything from mental health to diet. And in a recent statement, the World Bank described the climate crisis as "an economic timebomb," describing how climate shocks can lead to school closures, absences, and overall education gaps that widen over time.
The Guardian quoted Catherine Russell, UNICEF's executive director: "Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come," she said. "The decisions world leaders make today — or fail to make — define the world children will inherit. … Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat."
What's being done?
The bottom line, officials say, is that in order to slow or reverse these impacts on children, countries around the world need to make — and actually uphold — plans to reduce their planet-warming emissions.
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Yes — it's rotting their brains 🧠 This will entail everything from moving away from dirty fossil fuels to implementing public transit systems, regulating pollutive companies, and more.
"The world already knows what it needs to do to limit the worst impacts of climate change," said Russell. "To ignore those calls is to betray the futures of children and young people. We cannot allow that to happen."
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