UNICEF has issued a strong call to governments worldwide, urging immediate action to address rising global temperatures, which pose serious threats to children’s health and well-being. In its latest report, “A Threat to Progress,” UNICEF highlights that as days with temperatures exceeding 95°F become increasingly frequent, children are at greater risk.
The report notes that nearly half a billion children live in regions experiencing at least twice as many extremely hot days as their grandparents did, often without adequate infrastructure or services to cope. “Children are not little adults,” cautioned UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. She explained that children’s bodies heat up faster and cool down more slowly, making extreme heat particularly dangerous, especially for babies due to their faster heart rates.
The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation reported that in 2021, high temperatures contributed to approximately 442,000 deaths, including 45,000 children, 31,000 of whom were under the age of five. UNICEF further warned that excess heat stress can lead to child malnutrition, heat-related non-communicable diseases such as malaria and dengue, and may threaten food and water security, damage infrastructure, and disrupt essential services for children.
