According to the United Nations agency, more than 243 million children across East Asia and the Pacific are at high risk of illness and death due to strong heatwaves during the summers.
“Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of climate change, and excess heat is a potentially lethal threat to them. We must be on high alert this summer to protect children and vulnerable communities from worsening heat waves and other climate shocks,” Debora Comini, director of UNICEF’s regional office for East Asia and Pacific, said in a statement on Thursday.
Children can be more vulnerable to heat-related diseases like chronic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and asthma as they cannot regulate their body temperatures as adults.
UNICEF’s cautionary statement arrives amidst reports indicating that March marked the 10th consecutive month of record-breaking heat. Across significant portions of both the northern and southern hemispheres, populations are grappling with temperatures surpassing climate targets.
As per UNICEF by 20250, all of the world’s two billion children will likely be exposed to high-frequency heat waves, irrespective of greenhouse gas emission scenes.
