In a report published by UNICEF’s United Nations Children’s Fund on Climate Change, millions of children around the world are estimated to suffer from rising temperatures.
Monsignor Joji Vadakara, Vatican City
In a new report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, it was stated that around fifty-six million children worldwide are currently suffering from severe heatwaves. About 62 million children are facing distress due to the extreme heat.
According to current estimates, one-third of the world’s children live in areas prone to extreme heat and one-quarter of these children are exposed to extreme heatwaves, the report said.
Currently, children from 23 countries around the world suffer from extreme heat. But due to high carbon pollution, the number of these countries will increase to 33 by 2050, according to UNICEF. It is estimated that by 2050 there could be around two hundred billion children in the world who will experience the effects of higher temperatures.
According to the UNICEF report, “The Coldest Years in a Child’s Life: Protecting Children from Heatwaves”, even if current pollution levels are minimized, the world is expected to experience more heatwaves than today in the next 30 years. .
A report prepared by Data for Children Collaborative, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakathe and the African movement Rise Up highlights the dire effects of global warming. These figures also indicate the need to reduce global pollution. Speaking further on the report, UNICEF Director-General Catherine Russell recalled that as the temperature of mercury increases, the effects of mercury on children also increase. 23% of the world’s children are facing severe hardship due to the current heatwaves.
