Climate Threat Global Challenges

Almost all children in the world face climate threats

Today, virtually all children in the world live with at least one threat linked to the climate crisis, according to a new report from the UN agency Unicef, which is being reported by several media outlets.

For example, this concerns the increased risk of heat waves, forest fires, storms, floods and droughts. According to the report, 662 million children are at risk of being affected by tropical storms and 337 million by floods.

“Children’s lives continue to be turned upside down by the effects of heat waves, forest fires, droughts and floods,” Unicef ​​chief Catherine Russell told The Guardian.

Children in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan are most exposed to climate risks, but high-income countries are not immune either. In Italy, for example, children are exposed to prolonged heat waves and droughts.

“Sometimes I’m afraid people will go to war over water”

The groundwater crisis in northwestern Bangladesh is affecting many farmers in the area, who are unable to irrigate their crops.

“We pump water from the well and nothing comes out. At first we thought the motor was broken, but it’s the groundwater that has gone down,” farmer Sreemoti Shobdorani told The Guardian.

Authorities and non-profit organizations have started initiatives to promote climate-conscious agriculture. But many locals still worry about the future.

“When my son is 20 years old, this place will have changed drastically. Sometimes I’m afraid the fight for water will be so brutal that people will go to war over it,” says 27-year-old Mohammad Asif.