Children face more heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires than grandparents
Even though 86 per cent of global CO2 emissions are the responsibility of richer countries, children living in low- and middle-income and disadvantaged communities will be hit sooner and harder
Children born today are exposed seven times more than their grandparents to heat waves, 2.6 times more to drought, 2.8 times more to floods, 3 times more to loss of crops and double the number of devastating fires.
On the eve of the international meetings PRE-COP26 and ‘Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition’ hosted by Italy in Milan from 28 September to 2 October, Save the Children releases the data of the new report ‘Born in climate crisis: Why we must act now to protect children’s rights’ on 27 September through an international online event ‘Children and Youth Voices on the Climate Crisis’ and asks leaders for the participation of girls and boys in decision-making processes that affect their future.
The online event took place in the presence of the Italian minister for Ecological Transition Roberto Cingolani and with the participation of very young activists between 12 and 18 years old connected by Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America for an intergenerational dialogue on the issues of the global climate crisis.
Ministry of environment, forest and climate change’s standing committee president Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, from Bangladesh took part at the event.
For the most vulnerable children, the impacts of climate change can disrupt access to health care and education, as is the case for girls affected by gender inequalities, displaced or refugee populations, disabled children and indigenous people
He said, “In Bangladesh, we are referring climate crisis as the existential crisis because it is not a threat that may happen in the future or may not happen, it’s a reality today. It is time that we start listening to the young people rather than hearing for their better future.
“In Paris, 5 years age, it was agreed that the finance was going to be 50 per cent for adaptation and 50 per cent for mitigation. The countries of Asia whether it is Nepal, Pakistan or Bangladesh, we have had the least contribution to climate change where we are the worst sufferers. So the whole issue of climate justice comes in here.”
The data released by Save the Children with the report ‘Born in a climate crisis: Why we must act now to protect children’s rights’, created in collaboration with an international team of climate researchers led by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
It was relaunched on Tuesday also from the prestigious journal Science, highlight the net increase in exposure to a series of extreme events related to the climate of children born in 2020 compared to those born in 1960.
In Bangladesh, we are referring climate crisis as the existential crisis because it is not a threat that may happen in the future or may not happen, it’s a reality today
Aruba, climate activist from Bangladesh joined the event and said, “Leaders must listen to us. We require their support and action immediately.”
As the report points out, even though 86 per cent of global CO2 emissions are the responsibility of richer countries, children living in low- and middle-income and disadvantaged communities will be hit sooner and harder, because they are already the more exposed to waterborne diseases, hunger and malnutrition, and in some cases live in precarious or more fragile and vulnerable homes in the event of floods, cyclones and other extreme climatic events.
For the most vulnerable children, the impacts of climate change can disrupt access to health care and education, as is the case for girls affected by gender inequalities, displaced or refugee populations, disabled children and indigenous people.
The report released today by Save the Children, developed with the participation and testimonies of a group of children between 12 and 17 years old from Albania, Bangladesh, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kosovo, Norway, Somalia, Sri Lanka, United States United and Zambia, outlines the devastating proportions of the impact of the climate crisis on children if there is no immediate action. In fact, the Organisation stresses that the commitments made so far for the reduction of emissions under the Paris Agreement would lead to an increase in global temperature from 2.6 to 3.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an unacceptable impact on children.
As highlighted in the report, however, it is still possible to reverse this trend.
If, on the other hand, it is possible to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees as sanctioned by the objective of the Paris Agreement, the additional exposure of current newborns to excessive heatwaves will decrease by 45 per cent, by 39 per cent due to drought, 38 per cent for river flooding, 28 per cent for crop loss and 10 per cent for devastating fires.