UNICEF says 34 million children in Pakistan face multiple climate hazards

ISLAMABAD: More than one billion children worldwide are living with at least three overlapping climate-related hazards, including 34 million in Pakistan.

The UN agency said it examined where the world’s roughly 2.4 billion children live and compared that with the geographic spread of eight major climate threats: coastal flooding, river flooding, drought, tropical storms, heat waves, extreme heat, wildfires and sandstorms. The report focuses mainly on 1.1 billion children exposed to at least three of these hazards.

UNICEF said the most common combination is drought, extreme heat above 35 degrees Celsius and heat waves. This affects about 296 million children globally, including 74 million in Nigeria, 34 million in Pakistan and 32 million in India. The number of children exposed to three or more climate risks has risen sharply over the past two decades.

Nearly all children worldwide — around 2.3 billion — are exposed to at least one climate risk, while two billion face at least two. 364 million children are exposed to at least four hazards. Of the 123,000 children facing seven or more climate hazards, 46,000 are in Myanmar.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said children are being hit especially hard by climate change. "Children are at the forefront of the impact of climate change,"

One of the report’s authors, Tom Slaymaker, said the burden is not spread evenly and is concentrated in particular regions. "But they're not all equal," Slaymaker told AFP. "We do see some hot spots.. it's really concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia."

Countries and regions most affected

Countries with large child populations, including Bangladesh, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, rank highest in absolute numbers of children exposed to at least three hazards. In percentage terms, however, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially the Sahel, have the highest share of affected children.

UNICEF said the impact of climate threats is often worsened by weak state capacity to respond. It cited Chad as an example, saying the country is dealing with a humanitarian crisis and limited access to water, electricity and food. More than 95 percent of children there are exposed to at least three hazards, one of the highest proportions recorded globally.

The report also identified 39 island states as particularly vulnerable because of challenges including limited freshwater, dependence on imports and restricted options for relocation after disasters such as hurricanes. UNICEF said the findings showed that no country is entirely untouched by climate-related risks to children.