Children in South Asia are at high risk from the effects of climate change
Climate change is putting children in four South Asian countries at risk. According to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), children in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are at high risk of climate change-related events such as heatwaves and floods. This data was made public by a new UNICEF report.
According to the report, children and young people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan are the most vulnerable to climate change. This endangers their health, education, and safety. Nepal and Sri Lanka are also among the 65 most-affected countries worldwide.
UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) is the organization’s first child-centered climate risk assessment. According to the research, children are exposed to climate and environmental traumas such as cyclones and heatwaves, and they are at risk for essential services.
“For the first time, we have seen compelling proof of climate change’s effects on millions of children in South Asia,” said UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia George Laria-Adjei. Droughts, floods, air pollution, and river erosion have rendered millions of children homeless and hungry, as well as deprived them of health care and water in the region.”
Climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have combined to produce a frightening crisis in South Asia for children. It’s now or never. We can protect their future from the effects of climate change and the deteriorating environment if we invest in water, healthcare, and education.
According to the report, river floods and air pollution in South Asia put young children in continual danger. However, it has been discovered that investing in children’s health, nutrition, and education can help protect them from climate change.
South Asia is home to more than 600 million children and the most significant number of youth. South Asian countries are among the most vulnerable to the effects of global climate change.
Extreme climatic events such as heatwaves, storms, floods, fires, and droughts cause more than half of the region’s population loss each year and continue to put pressure on the economies of South Asian countries.
Arising global temperatures and changing climate patterns continue to jeopardize the future of millions of children living in climate-vulnerable areas of South Asia. To make matters worse, they are facing another catastrophe before one catastrophe, which is reversing any progress that has been made.
