A GREENER, MORE EQUAL WORLD FOR ALL CHILDREN

When 12-year-old Jacove’s* home was among hundreds of thousands damaged by Typhoon Rai in the Philippines in 2021, his family was moved to an evacuation centre and he worked in the rice fields to help buy food.

“The typhoon was scary. We didn’t have water, electricity and internet,” said Jacove, highlighting the reality for children affected by what seems like a relentless string of climate-driven crises.

“Jacove is one of millions of children whose lives are upended by climate change. Across the world we are seeing the devastating effects of droughts, floods, wildfires and crop failures,” said Patrick Robitaille, Head of Humanitarian Affairs with Save the Children. “This year we’ve seen more than ever that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis – it threatens their survival, learning and safety. Children are least responsible for the crisis, yet they are bearing the brunt of the climate-related impacts.”

Robitaille added that the responsibility to push for sustainable solutions to the climate crisis to guarantee a greener, sustainable and more equal world for children everywhere falls on all of our shoulders.

“Children who experience poverty, inequality and discrimination are most affected yet have the fewest resources to cope,” said Robitaille. “We need to push their voices to the forefront as it’s their futures at stake.”

MILLIONS OF CHILDREN BORN IN THE LAST YEAR WILL FACE ON AVERAGE 2 TO 7 TIMES MORE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS THAN THEIR GRANDPARENTS. THIS MEANS MORE HEAT WAVES, FLOODING, DROUGHTS, CROP FAILURES AND WILDFIRES.

AROUND 1 BILLION CHILDREN, OR NEARLY HALF OF ALL CHILDREN WORLDWIDE, LIVE IN COUNTRIES AT EXTREME RISK OF THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

ALMOST 160 MILLION CHILDREN LIVE IN AREAS EXPERIENCING HIGH LEVELS OF DROUGHT AND BY 2040, 1 IN 4 CHILDREN WILL LIVE IN AREAS OF EXTREME WATER STRESS.