UNICEF reveals that by 2050, children will face 8 times more severe heat waves!
The climate crisis is becoming more severe than ever before. If we do not act quickly to prevent and address it, more people will be exposed to severe disasters. Children around the world are expected to experience an eightfold increase in severe heat waves by 2050.
Almost twice as many children are expected to be exposed to wildfires, and many more to droughts and tropical cyclones, according to the annual State of the World’s Children report.
Globally, more children will be exposed to severe climate and environmental impacts by 2050, and the severity will vary by region. Regions projected to see the greatest increases in extreme heatwaves for children are in East and South Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa, West and Central Africa. Children in the same areas, including East Africa and the Pacific, are also likely to be more exposed to river flooding.
A report released on World Children’s Day predicts how climate change, demographic change (sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are expected to have the largest child population by 2050) and advanced technologies will impact the lives of children. But the report also notes that technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) will both harm and benefit children, who are already interacting with AI embedded in learning apps, games and software. However, the digital divide remains stark. By 2024, around 95% of the population in high-income countries will have access to the internet, compared to around 25% in low-income countries.
“Children are facing a multitude of crises, from climate change to the dangers of the internet, and these crises will only get worse in the coming years,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The decisions world leaders make today, or fail to make, will shape the world children will inherit. Decades of progress, particularly for girls, is now under threat.”
The report focuses primarily on the impacts of the climate crisis on children. Almost half of children (around 1 billion people) live in countries at high risk of environmental disasters. The climate crisis could make children more vulnerable to disease. As global temperatures rise, mosquito populations will increase, and mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Zika and West Nile virus will increase. In addition to increased disease, children’s mental health problems will also increase.
The changes in the world are becoming more severe every day. Disasters and epidemics are likely to increase. If we do not prepare for these changes, we may suffer losses that we may not have anticipated.
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