Climate Change
The impact of climate change is uneven. A baby born to a family living in poverty will be among the most affected by shorter growing seasons, more frequent disasters and changing disease patterns associated with climate change.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century – and children will overwhelmingly be most affected. Children from the poorest families are up to ten times more likely to bear the brunt of environmental disasters linked to climate change.
It will add significant pressure to already overburdened societies and directly impact on reaching the Millennium Development Goals. The year 2050 – when the impacts of climate change will be strongly felt – may seem like the distant future for politicians but it’s our childrens' future and they have a right to have it protected.
Video: Helping people cope with climate change in Mozambique
We’re supporting community micro projects in Mozambique with the aim of making people less dependent on agriculture, which is increasingly affected by recurring floods and droughts.
What is climate change?
It refers to the changes in the world's climate caused principally by the emission of greenhouse gases as a result of human activity.
Since the Industrial Revolution humans have burned fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, which build up in the atmosphere, and trap heat. As their concentration increases, so do the levels of heat.
The resulting rise in temperature of the earth's atmosphere in turn affects weather patterns. Global warming is making some places drier and some wetter, and increasing the likelihood and intensity of extreme weather events like droughts, floods and cyclones.
Climate change disrupts seasonal patterns, which can have a negative impact on crop yields. It's also creating more extreme weather patterns. Over the past two decades the number of natural disasters has doubled. More floods, cyclones and droughts means more children’s lives are at risk.
Devastating impact on children
Climate change poses severe threats to child survival and wellbeing, food security and nutrition, as well as children’s access to education and protection. They will face more natural disasters as well as reduced access to water, malnutrition and changing disease patterns.
What’s more, some of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as Ethiopia and Bangladesh, have significantly high numbers of children under the age of 14 years old. These children will have to live with the impacts for years to come.