Sustainability, climate change and the environment
Children are affected disproportionately by climate change, but investing in child-sensitive solutions benefits everyone
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Almost 160 million children across Europe and Central Asia are impacted by climate change and environmental degradation. Compared to adults, children are also affected disproportionately by these risks – which threaten almost every aspect of their health and well-being at every stage of their development, starting in utero.
Children are hit first and hardest by every type of climate and environmental crisis, including:
- extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, floods, sandstorms, mudslides and landslides;
- changes triggered by climate change, such as drought, desertification, water scarcity and deteriorating water quality; and
- ongoing challenges of air pollution, lead pollution, pesticide pollution, deteriorating water quality and energy poverty.
Many children across the region face overlapping risks. Conflict, poverty, climate change and environmental degradation reinforce and compound each other to devastating effect. Despite this, children are often treated as an afterthought in the response to climate change and environmental degradation. UNICEF aims to ensure that they are front and centre.
Nationally Determined Contributions animation
Sing-along
When you plan
for what you know is coming our way
When you hear our calls
and give us a say
When you stop using coal
and clean up the air
You help us breath freely
and show that you care
When you learn from the land
and adapt to its changes
You protect all our crops
And reduce all the dangers
When you find new ways
For grains to grow
the changes to our planet
we will soon see slow
When the rains bring floods
Make sure you have built
Our schools in safe places
Safe from the silt
When the temperatures
Continue their steady rise
Keep us shaded
Amid the heated highs
When you protect us all
From its line of fire
You make all of this stress
A little less dire
When you bring us
To have a seat at your table
We can share ideas
You know we are able
When you speak out for us,
And demand what is right,
Urge leaders to pledge
To a greener fight.
Speak for our tomorrow,
With passion and care
Urge climate justice
For the breath that we share.
Take heatwaves, which are rising in both intensity and frequency across the region. One in two children in Europe and Central Asia currently experience high-frequency heatwaves – measured as 4.5 or more heatwaves a year – compared to the global average of one in four. The consequences can be deadly, and long-term. Children exposed to high levels of heat are at risk of heatstroke, dehydration and diarrhoea, as well as asthma, allergies, cardiovascular illness and respiratory problems. Heatwaves also raise the risk of labour complications, and babies exposed to heatwaves in utero are more likely to be premature and have low birth weight.
Air pollution is another major threat to children in the region. Currently, more than eight in 10 children in Europe and Central Asia are regularly exposed to toxic levels of air pollution. Across 23 countries and territories in Europe and Central Asia, an estimated 6,441 children and teenagers died from causes attributable to air pollution in 2021. The vast majority – 85 per cent – died in their first year of life.1 In fact, one in five of all infant deaths in the region were linked to air pollution.. It is the single biggest environmental risk factor for children's health, putting children at greater likelihood of respiratory infections, pneumonia, asthma and death. Long-term, it can cause a number of serious health problems, from lung cancer to cardiovascular disease, and can damage brain development. Pregnant women who are exposed are at higher risk for foetal loss, preterm delivery and low birth weight.
UNICEF aims to protect the lives, health and well-being of children and the resilience of their communities by supporting their long-term development and the adaptation of essential social services – including social protection, health, WASH and education – to a changing climate and a degrading environment. Work with governments, communities and partners across the region includes:
- Climate change education
- Support for climate change education and sustainable schools, including integrating climate change and environment in educational standards and curricula. These should include modules for different age groups that focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, of the teaching contents and pedagogies required for the new textbooks, and promoting STEM subjects.
- Support for training modules of teachers designed to build the capacity of teachers in climate education, as part of the formal qualification system.
- Identifying and implementing infrastructure improvement measures for climate resilience and GHG emission reduction in schools to inform the development of national green school standards or guidelines.
- Support for environmental health including providing evidence-based information and improvement of indoor air quality, training of teachers, health care professionals and caregivers on the health impacts of air pollution.
- Support for families including shock-responsive social protection systems to build the resilience of children in areas that are prone to shocks
- Support for early warning systems including heat alert systems in schools.
- Support for the generation of robust data and evidence on the disproportionate impact of climate change on children and the best solutions to protect them.
We empower children and young people to take action on climate change
UNICEF aims to empower every child throughout childhood and adolescence by giving them the opportunities, education and skills they need to become champions for the environment. We provide guidance and resources to help children and young people develop their skills and take the lead on key issues, such as resource consumption, pollution, energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste management, water conservation and management, tree planting and the protection of biodiversity.
Children represent our greatest hope for lasting climate solutions – and measures that address their vulnerability benefit them, their families and communities, and support the global pursuit of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Child-sensitive climate policies
UNICEF recognizes that government-led climate policies can influence and direct local, regional and national finances and actions.
Nationally determined contributions (NDCs), for example, are commitments that countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate in line with the UNFCCC. NDCs must be child sensitive, recognizing the disproportionate impact of climate change on children and that include climate change education, social protection and health.
Importantly, commitments must be translated into climate change adaptation and climate change mitigation solutions. This includes investments in:
- Climate change education: We call for the inclusion of comprehensive climate change education programs in the national curriculum. These should be age-appropriate and incorporate educational materials and teacher training that includes practical elements disaster risk reduction training, sustainability practices and environmental stewardship.
- Health and nutrition: We advocate for the integration of climate-resilient healthcare services, focusing on mitigating climate-related health risks such as air pollution, heat-related illnesses, malnutrition and vector-borne diseases. Specific budgets need to be allocated to support these services, ensuring they are accessible to the most vulnerable children.
- Climate-resilient infrastructure: We call for measures to ensure that schools, hospitals, and other child-critical infrastructure are resilient to climate induced impacts. This might include upgrading buildings to withstand extreme weather or ensuring reliable access to safe water and sanitation during climate-induced events.
- Budget: We advocate for specific budget allocations within the NDCs for these child-focused initiatives.
- Integration of data: We advocate for the collection and use of robust data and evidence on the disproportionate impact of climate change on children, and the best solutions to protect them.
Resources
These resources on climate change and the environment are just a small selection of materials produced by UNICEF and its partners in the region. The list is regularly updated to include the latest information.