UNICEF reports 1.1 billion children face multiple climate threats

A new UNICEF report estimates that about 1.1 billion children worldwide are exposed to three or more climate-related hazards, while roughly 1.8 billion face at least one such threat. The analysis covers eight common risks – coastal flooding, drought, extreme heat, wildfires, heatwaves, river flooding, dust and sand storms, and tropical storms – and also considers air‑pollution and malaria, which are worsened by climate change.

In Spain, more than four million children (about 54% of the nation’s youth) are simultaneously at risk from at least three hazards, chiefly heatwaves, extreme drought and air‑pollution. The report notes similar high exposures in Latin America, with Brazil and Mexico among the countries with the largest absolute numbers of children at risk, and highlights the Sahel region in Africa as the most heavily impacted area globally.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said the findings should help governments plan resilient health, education and infrastructure services to protect children now and into the future.