Heatwave to impact almost every kid by 2050: Unicef

Geneva, October 26

Hot weather has become a health risk for many nations, but new data shows that almost every child on earth will be affected by heatwave by 2050, the Unicef warned in a new report.

In the report released on Tuesday, the UN agency said already over 559 million children are exposed to high heatwave frequency and around 624 million children are exposed to one of three other high heat measures — high heatwave duration, high heatwave severity or extreme high temperatures.

“By 2050, virtually every child on earth, over two billion children, is forecast to face more frequent heatwaves, regardless of whether the world achieves a ‘low greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 1.7 degrees of warming in 2050 or a ‘very high greenhouse gas emission scenario’ with an estimated 2.4 degrees of warming in 2050,” it said.

According to Unicef, children in northern regions will face the most dramatic increases in high heatwave severity while by 2050, nearly half of all children in Africa and Asia will face sustained exposure to extreme high temperatures.

“The mercury is rising and so is the impact on children,” Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell said in the report, adding wildfires and heatwaves that have swept through India, Europe, and North America were “yet another sobering example of the impact of climate change on children”. — IANS

559 mn children affected already

The UN agency says over 559 million children are already exposed to high heatwave frequency and around 624 million are exposed to one of three other high heat measures.