Heatwaves to impact every child on Earth by 2050, UNICEF says

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Heatwaves are forecast to impact almost every child in the world by the middle of the century, according to a new report by the United Nations Children's Fund, which called climate change a "child rights crisis."

UNICEF issued the warning Tuesday, saying new data shows every child on Earth, more than 2 billion in all, will be exposed to "more frequent, long-lasting and more severe heatwaves" by 2050.

While children in northern regions will experience more dramatic increases, nearly half of all children in Africa and Asia will face sustained exposure to extremely high temperatures over 95 degrees, according to the data.

"The climate crisis is a child rights crisis -- and it is already taking a devastating toll on children's lives and futures," Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement.

Wildfires and heatwaves in India, Europe and North America were "yet another sobering example of the impact of climate change on children," Russell said.

A recent study by World Weather Attribution also found man-made climate change fueled global drought, fires and heatwaves this year.

New data published in UNICEF's report, which is called "The Coldest Year of the Rest of Their Lives," shows children face greater risks from extreme heat. Children are less able to regulate their body temperature compared to adults, making them more susceptible to chronic respiratory conditions, asthma and cardiovascular diseases.

The report also found that despite lower greenhouse gas emissions, temperatures are still expected to rise an estimated 1.7 degrees in 2050 and could rise as much as 2.4 degrees with a "very high greenhouse gas emission scenario," the report said.

UNICEF used the data in the report to call on all countries to make children the focus of all future climate decisions.

"The world urgently needs to invest in building their resilience -- and in adapting all the systems children rely on to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing climate," UNICEF said.

Among the recommendations, UNICEF is asking countries to prepare now by adapting social services to protect children, to prepare children to live in a climate-changed world, to prioritize children in all climate finance decisions and to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent a climate catastrophe.

Children "who are least responsible for climate change are bearing its biggest costs," argued Vanessa Nakate, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

"The more frequent, longer lasting and more severe heatwaves children are exposed to, the greater the impacts on health, safety, nutrition, education, access to water and future livelihoods."