Climate change: in the face of disaster

The report shows that:

• half of all people affected by natural disasters are children.
• in the next decade, up to 175 million children are likely to be affected by these events each year.
• by involving children in finding new ways to prevent and cope with the emergencies caused by climate change, we can better protect them, their families and communities.

Climate change is causing more frequent, less predictable and more intense natural disasters. It's estimated there are four times as many disasters now as in the 1970s.

The international community, donors and national governments have important roles to play in cutting emissions and keeping to commitments to invest in reducing the impact of disasters. Aid agencies need to be ready for disasters that strike harder and more often.

Extreme weather can affect children's health, nutrition, education and safety. In the Face of Disaster explores what these issues might mean for child survival and raises concerns about how the most vulnerable families will cope. Building on our Legacy of Disasters report, this paper is being used by Save the Children worldwide in our advocacy, fundraising and campaigning on emergency work.

Our response to and preparation for these emergencies will only be successful if we work together with children and allow them to be advocates for change. Children must be able to join in with their communities to both plan for and recover from disaster, using their own skills and resources.

What we're doing

We're committed to improving response times and the quality of humanitarian programming for children. With a strong emphasis on children’s rights, we are driving forward a five-year initiative to improve national-level responses and our own ability to respond to emergencies.

We're building resilience in communities

We focus on projects that help children, their families and their communities prepare for disasters. Our disaster risk reduction programmes in Asia, Africa and Latin America prepare communities in the event of natural disasters as a way of combating climate change. We involve children in these programmes giving them skills, confidence and support.

What you can do

Support our work by making a donation to the Children’s Emergency Fund.

More information

• Hear Amelia Bookstein Kyazze, Save the Children's Head of Humanitarian Policy discuss issues raised by the report in an interview with China Radio International
• Read about Children in a Changing Climate (PDF 3MB) a programme launched by Save the Children, the Institute of Development Studies, Plan UK, ActionAid and National Children’s Bureau, that aims to secure children and young people a voice in preventing and adapting to climate change.
• Download Child Led Disaster Risk Reduction: A Practical Guide Part 1 (PDF 3MB) and Part 2 (PDF 2.5MB)