In eight countries, including Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sudan and South Sudan, children face temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than half the year. Nearly half a billion children experience at least twice as many extremely hot days as their grandparents, UNICEF said in a statement released today.
According to a new UNICEF analysis, 466 million children – or one in five – live in places with at least twice as many extremely hot days per year as they did just 60 years ago. Comparing average temperatures in the 1960s with those for 2020-2024, the analysis provides a stark warning of the speed and scale of extremely hot days, defined as days when temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius/95 degrees Fahrenheit. Nearly half a billion children worldwide are affected, many without the infrastructure and services to cope. “The hottest summer days have become the norm,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Extreme heat events are becoming more common, threatening children’s health, well-being and daily activities.” » The analysis also looked at country-level data that found that in 16 countries, children are now experiencing more than a month more extremely hot days than they were 60 years ago. In South Sudan, for example, they have increased from 110 per year in the 1960s to 165 in the current decade. In Paraguay, they have nearly doubled, from 36 to 71 per year. Globally, children in West and Central Africa are most exposed to extreme heat days, and are experiencing the greatest increase in their occurrence over time, the analysis found. Today, 123 million children, or 39 percent of children in the region, endure temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius for more than a third of the year on average, or at least 95 days. There are up to 212 days of extreme heat per year in Mali, 202 in Niger, 198 in Senegal and 195 in Sudan. In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 48 million children live in places where the number of extremely hot days per year has more than doubled. The heat stress on the body caused by exposure to extreme heat poses unique threats to the health and well-being of children and pregnant women, particularly when no cooling options are available. Heat stress has been linked to certain complications during pregnancy, such as chronic gestational diseases or adverse birth outcomes, including stillbirth, low birth weight or prematurity. Excessive levels of heat stress also contribute to malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases in children, particularly heat-related diseases. Children are also more vulnerable to infectious diseases that spread in high temperatures, such as malaria and dengue fever. In addition, there is evidence that heat stress affects neurodevelopment, mental health and well-being. The effects of extreme heat are of particular concern when episodes occur over prolonged periods.
In addition to the fact that these events are increasing in every country around the world, the analysis shows that children are also exposed to more intense, longer-lasting and more frequent heatwaves. More than half of children in 100 countries are experiencing twice as many heatwaves today as they were 60 years ago, including in the United States, where 36 million and 5.7 million children are exposed to twice and three times as many heatwaves, respectively. The impacts of climate-related hazards on children’s health are compounded by how these same hazards affect food and water security and contamination, degrade infrastructure, disrupt services – including education – for children, and cause displacement. Underlying vulnerabilities and inequalities that children face due to their socioeconomic status, gender, geography, health conditions and national context also influence the severity of these impacts. In the coming months, all States Parties to the Paris Agreement will be required to submit their new National Climate Action Plans, otherwise known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 3.0. These plans will guide climate action over the next decade. They represent an opportunity to identify concrete, time-bound solutions to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. UNICEF is urging leaders, governments and the private sector to urgently implement bold climate actions that uphold every child’s right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment by:
• REDUCE their emissions urgently and meet their obligations under ambitious international agreements on sustainability and climate change, with a view to halting the rise in temperatures. • PROTECT the lives, health and well-being of children, and the resilience of their communities, including by adapting essential social services to the impacts of climate change, more frequent disasters and environmental degradation. For example, all health workers could be trained to detect and treat heat stress, and health and education facilities could be designed to be resilient to extreme heat.
• Equip every child, throughout their lives, with the developmental opportunities, education and skills that will enable them to champion the environmental cause. “Children do not react to rising temperatures like small adults,” says Catherine Russell. “Their bodies are much more vulnerable to extreme heat. Their temperature rises faster, and they need more time to cool down. Extreme heat is particularly risky for babies, whose heart rates are higher. This makes global warming even more alarming for children.” “Governments must act to stem this rise in temperatures, and the opportunity now is unparalleled. As they develop their national climate action plans, and have the opportunity to take action, they must not lose sight of the legacy they will leave for today’s children and future generations, and must focus their efforts on the world of tomorrow.”
Source: Press release, UNICEF