NEW YORK/United States of America: In a stark revelation, a new UNICEF report, titled “The Climate Changed Child,” discloses that an alarming one in three children, equivalent to 739 million worldwide, currently reside in regions exposed to high or very high water scarcity. This dire situation is exacerbated by the looming threat of climate change, as detailed in the report released ahead of the COP28 climate change summit.
The report sheds light on the peril faced by children due to water vulnerability, emphasizing that the combination of dwindling water availability and inadequate drinking water and sanitation services places them at even greater risk. The study delves into the three critical aspects of global water security: water scarcity, water vulnerability, and water stress.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell underscores the devastating consequences of climate change for children, emphasizing their unique vulnerability to polluted air, poor nutrition, and extreme heat. Russell notes that children’s mental and physical health is increasingly at risk as their world undergoes drastic changes, with water sources depleting, and extreme weather events becoming more frequent.
The report identifies the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia as regions where the greatest share of children face heightened exposure, living in areas with limited water resources and high seasonal variability. A concerning 436 million children experience extreme water vulnerability, coupled with low drinking water service levels, a situation that puts their lives, health, and well-being at risk, and contributes significantly to preventable deaths among children under 5.
The impact is particularly severe in low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia, and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. In 2022, 436 million children were living in areas facing extreme water vulnerability, with countries like Niger, Jordan, Burkina Faso, Yemen, Chad, and Namibia witnessing 8 out of 10 children exposed.
To address this crisis, the report calls for essential investments in safe drinking water and sanitation services as a crucial first line of defense against the impacts of climate change. It also warns of an impending increase in water stress by 2050, projecting an additional 35 million children exposed to high or very high levels.
Despite the evident vulnerability of children, discussions about climate change have largely overlooked them, with a mere 2.4 percent of climate finance from key multilateral climate funds supporting projects with child-responsive activities. At COP28, UNICEF urges world leaders and the international community to take critical steps to ensure a livable planet for children.
UNICEF’s recommendations at COP28 include elevating children in the final COP28 Cover Decision, integrating children and intergenerational equity in the Global Stocktake, and ensuring children and climate-resilient essential services are part of the decision on the Global Goal for Adaptation. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the need for child-responsive measures in the Loss and Damage Fund and funding arrangements.
Looking beyond COP28, UNICEF calls for immediate action to protect the lives, health, and well-being of children by adapting essential social services, empowering every child to be a champion for the environment, and fulfilling international sustainability and climate change agreements, including a rapid reduction in emissions.
In a resounding call to action, Russell emphasizes that children and young people have consistently urged their voices to be heard on the climate crisis but have been largely ignored in climate policy and decision-making. She concludes, “It is our collective responsibility to put every child at the center of urgent global climate action.”
