Children cool themselves in a fountain of the central Syntagma square in front of the Greek parliament during a hot day in Athens, July 14, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
UNITED NATIONS – A staggering 92 million children in Europe and Central Asia, comprising half of the region's young population, face heightened exposure to frequent heatwaves, twice the global average, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Thursday in a new policy brief.
Countries in these parts of the world are feeling the heat of the climate crisis, and children's health and well-being are suffering the most, said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
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"This is expected to rise to all children in 2050," she said. "The multitude of negative implications on the current and future health of such a significant proportion of the region's children must be a catalyst for governments to urgently invest in mitigation and adaptation measures."
To protect children, UNICEF outlines six recommendations for governments across Europe and Central Asia, including incorporating heatwave mitigation and adaptation into climate-related commitments, disaster risk reduction, disaster risk management policies, and keeping children at the center of all plans
The brief highlights that children are exceptionally susceptible to the repercussions of heatwaves, with their core temperatures rising significantly higher and faster than adults, placing them at serious risk of illnesses, including heatstroke.
Furthermore, heatwaves also affect children's education by hampering their ability to concentrate and learn, said the report.
In recent years, heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia have become more frequent with no signs of abating, and the frequency is set to increase even further over the coming years.
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Under the most conservative estimates of a global temperature increase at 1.7 degrees Celsius, the report warned that a concerning future awaits children in Europe and Central Asia. By the year 2050, every child in the region is predicted to experience high heatwave frequency.
Disturbingly, approximately 81 percent of these children will be subjected to prolonged periods of intense heatwaves, while 28 percent will encounter even more severe heatwave conditions, according to the brief.
To protect children, UNICEF outlines six recommendations for governments across Europe and Central Asia, including incorporating heatwave mitigation and adaptation into climate-related commitments, disaster risk reduction, disaster risk management policies, and keeping children at the center of all plans.
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Governments should also invest in primary health care to support prevention, early action, diagnosis, and treatment of heat-related illness among children, including training community health workers and teachers, said UNICEF.
They can further invest in national climate early warning systems, carry out local environmental assessments, and support emergency preparedness and resilience-building initiatives, it added.
