UNICEF: Extreme Heatwaves Will Impact 8x More Children by 2050

A new UNICEF report released on Wednesday to coincide with World Children’s Day has found that eight times more children will experience extreme heatwaves globally by 2050.

According to The State of the World’s Children 2024, three megatrends will have powerful impacts on the lives of children between now and midcentury, including the environmental and climate crises; demographic shifts; and “frontier technologies,” a press release from UNICEF said.

In the report, researchers model the ways in which potential pathways could influence how children experience our world in 2050.

“The demographic trends of today will shape tomorrow’s population patterns. The carbon we pour into our atmosphere today will shape tomorrow’s climate. The technologies we develop and govern today will influence not only how future generations learn, work and communicate, but also the well-being of children for years to come,” the report’s executive summary said.

According to the United Nations, three times as many children will be impacted by flooding rivers in comparison with the 2000s, based on the continuation of current trends, reported The Guardian. Wildfires will affect almost two times more children, with many others expected to experience tropical cyclones and droughts.

There will be notable regional variation in climate and environmental crises impacting children by the 2050s. By then, the largest numbers of children are expected to be living in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The Pacific; east and south Asia; west, north and central Africa; and the Middle East are expected to see the biggest increases in children being affected by extreme heatwaves. The same regions are projected to experience river floods, with the addition of east Africa.

The executive summary said the Convention on the Rights of the Child treaty must be a guiding light as we navigate the road to a better future.

“By 2050, we need empathy, communication and policies that promote new activities and sustainable jobs. Leaders, build an inclusive and prosperous future,” said a 16-year-old female U-Reporter from Ecuador.

The report said artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies will bring both risks and benefits to children, The Guardian reported. Many currently interact with AI through games, apps and learning software. In high-income countries, nearly 95 percent of people have internet access, while just 25 percent of those in low-income countries are connected.

“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, as reported by The Guardian. “The decisions world leaders make today – or fail to make – define the world children will inherit… Decades of progress, particularly for girls, are under threat.”

Children are at increased risk of diseases due to the climate crisis. Mosquito populations have risen, along with the illnesses they carry and transmit, such as dengue, malaria, Zika and West Nile virus.

Extreme weather can prevent children from having access to a healthy diet. Hurricanes, tornadoes, heatwaves, floods and earthquakes have also been associated with a number of mental health issues, like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The world already knows what it needs to do to limit the worst impacts of climate change,” Russell said. “Youth leaders have been forceful – and rightly so – in urging national leaders to stick to their climate commitments. To ignore those calls is to betray the futures of children and young people. We cannot allow that to happen.”