UNICEF –The Coldest Year Of The Rest Of Their Lives

1. Context

 'The coldest year of the rest of their lives report

A new UNICEF report finds that in even the best-case scenario 2 billion children will face four to five dangerous heat events annually

According to UNICEF, 559 million children currently endure at least four to five dangerous heat waves annually, but the number will quadruple to 2 billion by 2050, even if global heating is curtailed to 1.7 degrees

2.UNICEF Report Findings

• The climate crisis is rapidly accelerating and with it, heat waves are becoming longer, stronger, more widespread, and more frequent.
• Already, around 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency and approximately 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures high heat wave duration, high heatwave severity, or extremely high temperatures.
• By 2050, virtually every child on earth, over 2 billion children is forecast to face more frequent heatwaves, regardless of whether the world achieves a ‘low greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 1.7 degrees of warming in 2050 or a ‘very high greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 2.4 degrees of warming in 2050.
• By 2050, nearly half of all children in Africa and Asia will face sustained exposure to extremely high temperatures

3.Impact on water availability

This year alone, heatwaves in China dried up rivers and damaged crops, while temperatures hit 48C (118F) in Pakistan before unprecedented rains left a third of the country underwater. Record-breaking temperatures throughout Europe led to tens of thousands of preventable deaths and drastically reduced crop yields

4.Impact on Health of Heatwaves

These heat waves make it difficult for young people to regulate their body temperature. Therefore resulting in vulnerability to health issues like chronic respiratory conditions, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases

5.Impact on Children's

•  A child born in 2021 is likely to experience on average twice as many wildfires, two to three times more droughts, almost three times more river floods and crop failures, and about seven times more heat waves compared to a person who is, say, 60 years old today, the researchers have found.
• Children and infants are less able to regulate their body temperature, making them more vulnerable to the pervasive impacts of extreme and prolonged heat than adults. This includes a myriad of health problems such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and even death.
• Additionally, as intense heat exacerbates drought, it can also reduce access to food and water, which can stunt development and increase exposure to violence and conflict if families are forced to migrate. Studies have also shown that extreme heat negatively affects children’s concentration and learning abilities

6.4Ps To Save Children

1. Protecting children from climate devastation by adapting social services.
2.  Preparing children to live in a climate-changed world.
3.  Prioritizing children and young people in climate finance and resources.
4.  Preventing a climate catastrophe by drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and keeping 1.5 degrees Celsius alive

7.Way Forward

The release quoted Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research scientist Katja Frieler, who is coordinating ISIMIP and is a co-author of the study, as saying: "The good news: we can indeed take much of the climate burden from our children's shoulders if we limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by phasing out fossil fuel use. If we increase climate protection from current emission reduction pledges and get in line with a 1.5-degree target, we will reduce young people's potential exposure to extreme events on average by 24% globally. For North America, it's minus 26%, for Europe and Central Asia minus 28%, and the Middle East and North Africa even minus 39%. This is a huge opportunity