Climate change impacts drive calls for emergency measures and threaten education

Environmental engineer Hamdi Hached has called for the consideration of a ‘state of emergency’ regarding climate change, noting that its effects are no longer exceptional scenarios but a concrete daily reality. In Tunisia, the summer of 2026 was marked by exceptionally high temperatures and record energy demand. Hached expressed concern over the lack of concrete actions and warned that the summer of 2027 could be even more intense and historic in terms of heatwaves.

On a global scale, Unicef reported that extreme climate shocks, such as heatwaves, storms, and fires, have increased the risk of school dropout rates for girls in 2025. During natural disasters, girls often assume additional household responsibilities, such as fetching water, which prevents them from attending school. These pressures also increase the risk of early marriage. Unicef noted that climate shocks impacted the education of over 171 million children across 106 countries last year, with one in ten students affected by school closures or destruction.