Imagine a world where summer afternoons frequently reach 35 degrees Celsius, where the once-coveted sunny weather now brings with it a grim undertone of extreme heat, and where the loud laughter of children playing has given way to lethargy and unease. Unfortunately, that’s exactly where we’ve ended up – thanks to climate change.
This escalating threat, revealed in a recent United Nations (UN) report, means that nearly half a billion children worldwide will have to endure twice or even three times as many days of extreme heat as their grandparents once did.
Unwelcome guest: extreme heat
UNICEF, the UN’s child protection agency, reports that one in five children – an alarming 466 million children worldwide – live in areas that have “at least twice as many extremely hot days per year” as statistics from 60 years ago.
As a result, our little ones find themselves in the scorching spotlight twice as often as their predecessors.
Children’s vulnerability to extreme heat
The news, shared by UNICEF chief Lily Caprani, gets even more heartbreaking. Children, unlike adults, are much more vulnerable to the dangers of extreme heat, and that puts pregnant women and the future generations they will give birth to at risk alike. “The bodies of young children are not like those of young adults,” Caprani said.
Did you know that extreme temperatures can lead to school closures, depriving children of their right to education? In 2024 alone, at least 80 million children were affected by this setback.
Global heatmap
To quantify this phenomenon, UNICEF compared the number of days with temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or more in the period 2020-2024 with data from the 1960s. The results are downright alarming.
In West and Central Africa, children are most affected by the scorching heat: 123 million children, or 39 percent of children in this region, experience temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or more for a third of the year.
And then there’s Mali, where temperatures of 95 degrees or more are recorded more than 200 days a year due to limited access to air conditioning and recurring power outages that hamper the use of fans.
In Latin America, children are not far from this: 48 million children there are exposed to extreme heat for twice as many days as they were 60 years ago.
Consequences of extreme heat for children
The rising temperatures bring more than just discomfort. “Children are fragile and breathe very quickly. They can’t even sweat like adults. They are much more vulnerable to heat stress and this can literally be fatal,” Caprani said.
High temperatures can lead to malnutrition in children and make them more vulnerable to diseases such as malaria and dengue, which are common in warm climates. Negative effects on neurological development and mental health must also be taken into account.
Overlapping challenges
The consequences of rising temperatures go beyond immediate health concerns and intertwine with existing societal problems such as poverty, education and access to health care.
In regions where climate change is exacerbating the heat, families are facing growing economic hardship as agricultural yields decline and food prices soar.
Children from socially disadvantaged families bear the brunt of this burden. They fall into a vicious circle of poverty in which education becomes a luxury rather than a right.
Because schools often lack appropriate solutions to mitigate heat, disruptions can occur that further disrupt a child’s educational trajectory and set in motion a vicious cycle that may take several generations to break.
Activism and adaptation strategies
Despite this bleak outlook, grassroots activists and citizen-based initiatives are emerging to combat the impacts of heatwaves on children.
Innovative approaches such as building heat-reflective roofs, improving access to shaded areas in schools and educating families about heat protection can make a critical difference.
In addition, integrating climate education into the curriculum helps equip children and communities with the knowledge they need to advocate for change.
Organizations around the world are joining forces to not only raise awareness but also drive systemic change that prioritizes the well-being of our youth in the face of climate-related challenges. In this fight, every small step can contribute to a larger wave of change, emphasizing the critical role children can play as stewards of a more sustainable future.
Turn down the heat
While UNICEF calls for better education of parents about the symptoms of heat stroke, better training of medical personnel and investment in air conditioning in schools, the real solution lies in curbing climate change caused by humanity’s use of fossil fuels.
“As governments now develop their national climate action plans, they can do so with ambition and the knowledge that today’s children and future generations must live in the world they leave behind,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.
In a world where temperatures continue to rise, it is our responsibility to ensure our children can live, learn and thrive. Now is the time to turn down the heat.
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