One Billion Children At High Risk Of Climate Change, UNICEF Warns

The United Nations Children’s Fund on Monday said one billion children are at extremely high risk of climate change.
The UN agency, in a press release, said it would attend COP26 to ensure that the climate crisis was recognised as a crisis for children and their rights.
According to the Executive Director of the agency, Henrietta Fore, “COP26 must be the COP for children. 
“Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing this generation, with one billion children at extremely high risk. 
“Yet, while the outlook is dire, world leaders at COP26 have a significant, time-sensitive opportunity to redirect the terrible path we are on. 
“They can do so by committing to strengthening the resilience of services that children depend upon, and by cutting emissions faster and deeper. The futures of billions of children depend on it.”
UNICEF noted that children in communities that have contributed the least to global emissions will face the greatest impacts of climate change. 
An August UNICEF report, The Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI), found almost every child on earth is exposed to at least one climate and environmental hazard, such as heatwaves, cyclones, air pollution, flooding, and water scarcity.
“Approximately one billion children – nearly half the world’s children – live in 33 countries classified in the Index as ‘extremely high-risk’. 
“These children face a deadly combination of exposure to multiple climate and environmental shocks with a high vulnerability due to inadequate essential services, such as water and sanitation, healthcare, and education.