Just Released: UNICEF's Report "A Threat to Progress: Confronting the effects of climate change on child health and well-being"
In late July 2024, UNICEF, with support from the Karolinska Institutet, released a report which explores and analyzes the many ways that children of all ages are impacted by climate change.
Climate change is impacting almost every aspect of child health and well-being from pregnancy to adolescence. Children are disproportionately affected by climate change because they are uniquely vulnerable to environmental hazards compared to adults.
While the evidence on the impact of climate change on children’s health and well-being is growing, research often focuses on the effects of individual hazards. This report aims to provide a comprehensive ‘stocktake’ of the impacts of climate change on children across six major hazards that impact their health and well-being: extreme heat, droughts, wildfires, floods and storms, air pollution and ecosystem changes.
This report makes three recommendations with accompanying specific actions:
- Reduce emissions to meet 1.5°C degree threshold ensuring the best interest of the child
- Protect children from the impact of climate change
- Prioritize child health and well-being in climate policy, investment and action
Read the full report and explore more of the findings here.
A webinar to discuss the report will be held on August 14, 2024. This webinar will support both dissemination of the topline findings and recommendations for how to protect children from climate-related adverse health impacts, as well as enable a brief dialogue amongst collaborators and participants on how the climate and health community can work together to empower strong and urgent action.
This webinar session, hosted by the Children's Environmental Health Collaborative and the Child Health Task Force (CHTF), will kick-off the Climate Change and Health Forum. This webinar is supported by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Global Communities, Save the Children, the Global Climate and Health Alliance, Karolinska Institutet and UNICEF.
|
