A new report from the United Nations warns that nearly half a billion children worldwide are now enduring twice as many days of extreme heat each year as their grandparents did, with serious consequences for their health, education, and overall well-being.
According to the UN Children’s Agency, UNICEF, approximately 466 million children one in five globally are living in areas where the number of extremely hot days, defined as temperatures reaching 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) or higher, has more than doubled compared to the 1960s.
UNICEF’s advocacy chief, Lily Caprani, highlighted the unique vulnerabilities of children to extreme heat, noting that their bodies are less capable of coping with high temperatures than adults. “The bodies of young children are not like little adults; they are much more vulnerable to extreme heat,” Caprani told AFP. She also stressed the additional risks faced by pregnant women under such conditions.
The report emphasizes that excessive heat can severely disrupt children’s education, with at least 80 million children affected by school closures due to high temperatures in 2024 alone. This disruption is compounded by the fact that even when schools remain open, learning is often hindered by unbearable classroom conditions.
UNICEF’s findings show that children in West and Central Africa are the most affected, with 123 million children 39 percent of the region’s youth experiencing extreme heat for about a third of the year. In some countries, such as Mali, temperatures surpass 95 degrees on more than 200 days annually, while access to cooling solutions like air conditioning remains scarce.
In Latin America, 48 million children are also facing double the number of extreme heat days compared to 60 years ago.
Caprani warned that the situation is worsening, with children being particularly susceptible to heat stress, which can be fatal. High temperatures can also exacerbate malnutrition and increase vulnerability to diseases such as malaria and dengue, which thrive in warmer climates.
UNICEF is calling for increased education on heat stroke symptoms for parents, better training for medical personnel, and investments in air conditioning for schools. However, the organization stresses that the most critical action lies in addressing the root cause: climate change driven by fossil fuel use.
“As governments draft their national climate action plans, they must do so with the knowledge that today’s children and future generations will have to live in the world they leave behind,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell in a statement.
The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global action to protect the planet’s youngest and most vulnerable inhabitants from the escalating threat of climate change.
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