What picture awaits our children? 2024 will be the hottest year on record and according to the Unicef report, in the decade 2050-2059, climate and environmental crises will become even more widespread, with eight times more children exposed to extreme heat waves
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©UNICEF/UNI643215/Pham Ha Duy Linh
Unless immediate action is taken, there is no certainty for a future with children whose rights are protected on all continents. This is the urgent message from UNICEF’s latest report, released today to mark World Children’s Day, just as COP29 in Baku concludes.
It stresses, with the comprehensive study ‘The State of the World’s Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World’, the profound impact of the climate crisis on these young individuals. This report brings into focus how three global megatrends will so powerfully shape the lives of children by 2050 and beyond.
What are these megatrends?
The report identifies three forces driving this transformation: demographic changes, climate and environmental crises, and revolutionary yet challenging technologies. These same forces that hold the keys to progress also pose some of the largest risks facing children in the near future.
What will the world look like for children in 2050?
Currently, close to half of the world’s children-about 1 billion-are residing in countries at high risk of climate and environmental hazards. Since 2022, extreme weather events have prevented 400 million students worldwide from attending school.
Compared to the early 2000s, projections for 2050 indicate the following:
- Children exposed to heatwaves increase 8-fold
- 3.1 times more children will face flooding
- 1.7 times more children will be exposed to wildfires
- 1.3 times more children will endure drought
- 1.2 times more children will be affected by tropical cyclones
Further, in 2050, 60% of the world’s children will live in urban areas, compared with 44% in the 2000s. Neonatal survival rates are projected to also increase from four percentage points higher than today, to more than 98% globally.
However, the prospect in terms of conflict is worrying. The number of children affected by conflict will increase in Eastern and Southern Africa from 71 million in the year 2000 to almost 98 million in 2050. Similarly, this number is projected to leap from 5.1 million to 69 million in Western and Central Africa.
There’s hope for positive change
Thankfully, not all the trends are gloomy. Life expectancy at birth will increase remarkably, according to the report. Access to education-one of the primary drivers for positive change-has increased dramatically in the past century and is expected to improve even further. By 2050, almost 96% of all children in the world will have received at least a primary education compared to 80% in the 2000s.
The way forward: Putting children’s rights at the center
The conclusion cannot be clearer: at each and every strategic turn and policy decision, we have to put the rights of the child first. Global leaders cannot forget that it is up to these younger generations to ensure the future. Quite urgently, we need investments in education, services, urban development that is sustainable, and resilient infrastructure.
Indeed, with a strong support network—technology, infrastructure, social services—the suffering of today’s children and those of generations to come can be mitigated.