German organizations demand child welfare focus in climate policy

A coalition of 81 organizations, including the Kinderschutzbund, the German Alliance for Climate Change and Health (KLUG), and the Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists, has issued a position paper titled ‘Child Welfare in the Climate Crisis – Attend, Protect, Ensure’. The alliance calls on federal, state, and local governments to make child welfare the primary standard for climate and adaptation policies.

The group highlights that children and adolescents are disproportionately affected by the consequences of the climate crisis, such as extreme heat and air pollution, despite contributing the least to the crisis. Key demands include the implementation of mandatory heat protection concepts for schools and daycare centers, the creation of climate-resilient living spaces, and the binding involvement of young people in political decision-making processes.

The paper also urges a critical review of laws, funding programs, and infrastructure projects with high greenhouse gas emissions, framing climate policy as a fundamental issue of children's rights and public health.