The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF has warned that heatwaves have become an unavoidable health hazard for many nations, but new data indicates that they are set to affect virtually every child on earth by 2050.
The UN agency notes that today, at least half a billion youngsters are already exposed to a high number of heatwaves, placing them on the front lines of climate change.
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell warns that by the middle of this century, moreover, it estimates that more than two billion children will be exposed to “more frequent, longer lasting, and more severe” heatwaves.
He says protecting children from the escalating impacts of heatwaves should be a priority for all countries, calling for “urgent and dramatic emissions mitigation measures to contain global heating – and protect lives”.
