Unicef Says 1 Billion Children Face 3 Climate Hazards as Crises Hit Schools and Health
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 16
Unicef Says 1 Billion Children Face 3 Climate Hazards as Crises Hit Schools and Health
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 16
Summary
More than 1 billion children worldwide are now exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, with Unicef saying those risks are threatening health, education and survival.
The agency’s Children’s Climate Risk Report links that exposure to worsening heatwaves, storms, floods and droughts, and says almost every child globally faces at least one hazard while 123,000 face more than six over their lifetimes.
Papua New Guinea illustrates the damage: children in Launkalana swim across a crocodile-filled river to reach school after a footbridge washed away in 2012, with monsoon currents, debris and cold dirty water causing injuries, illness and missed classes.
The burden is heaviest in places such as Africa’s Sahel, where more than 4 million children face heatwaves, extreme heat and sandstorms, while Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan rank among the most hazard-exposed countries.
Unicef said high-income countries are also vulnerable—more than 6 million children in Italy face prolonged heatwaves and drought—and urged governments and businesses to cut emissions and invest in child-focused resilient infrastructure and services.
Can new 'adaptive' aid programs truly protect millions of children in hotspots like the Sahel from irreversible climate damage?
Beyond crumbling bridges, what is the hidden mental health cost of the climate crisis for an entire generation of children?
With trillions needed for climate action, why are children still swimming past crocodiles just to get to school?
One Billion Children at Extreme Risk: The Global Climate Crisis and Its Impact on Child Survival, Health, and Education (2024-2026)
Overview
The report highlights that, as of mid-2026, the global climate crisis is putting nearly half of the world’s 2.2 billion children at severe risk from environmental shocks. One billion children live in 33 countries identified by UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index as extremely high-risk, where deep-rooted poverty and weak infrastructure make them especially vulnerable. These children face immediate threats to their survival, with climate change worsening existing challenges and undermining progress in health, education, and well-being. The crisis is most severe in regions already struggling with poverty, showing how climate impacts and structural inequalities combine to endanger children’s futures.