A new analysis by Unicef has found that almost half a billion children are growing up in parts of the world where there are at least twice the number of extremely hot days every year compared with six decades ago.
The analysis by the UN’s children’s agency examined for the first time data on changes in children’s exposure to extreme heat over the past 60 years. As the planet continues to warm, people worldwide are facing more frequent and severe climate threats such as extreme heat and heatwaves. Children are more vulnerable to such hazards.
Researchers did a comparison between a 1960s and a 2020-to-2024 temperature average to assess the speed and scale at which extremely hot days – defined as reaching more than 35C (95F) – are increasing. They found that 466 million children – about one in five children globally – live in areas that experience at least double the number of extremely hot days each year compared to six decades ago.
They also found that children in west and central Africa have the highest exposure to extremely hot days and this area has had the most significant increases over time.
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A total of 123 million children, or 39% of children in the region, experience temperatures above 35C over an average of four months every year, the analysis says.
The figures include 212 days in Mali, 202 days in Niger, 198 days in Senegal, and 195 days in Sudan.
David Knaute, a Unicef regional climate specialist in west and central Africa, said: “This new Unicef analysis issues a stark warning about the speed and scale at which extremely hot days are affecting children. It urgently calls on governments to seize the precious opportunity to act and get temperature rises under control.”
Exposure to extreme heat can lead to heat stress, which poses threats to children’s health. Heat stress has been linked to child malnutrition and non-communicable diseases, and it makes children more vulnerable to infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever that spread in high temperatures.
Knaute said children were “uniquely vulnerable” in extreme heat. “Unlike adults, their bodies heat up faster, they sweat less efficiently and they cool down more slowly. When their small bodies are not able to regulate the heat, it leads to heat stress, and they are more likely to suffer from heatstroke or die.”
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
