Climate is the biggest threat facing children today.
Here in Australia and around the world, the growing number of extreme weather events is impacting the lives of children. From bushfires and droughts to flooding and cyclones, the frequency, intensity and duration of these events are having a long-lasting and devasting impact on children.
July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded globally, raising further concerns about a future where children are expected to face more frequent and severe heatwaves, largely due to climate change. In fact, every single child in the world is expected to suffer from at least one climate-change related event in the next ten years.
UNICEF is working to protect children from the effects of climate change while helping communities build towards a more sustainable future.
Climate Emergency
Climate is the biggest threat facing the world's children today. Protect them in a changing climate by donating today.
The climate crisis is a child rights crisis
How children are experiencing the world is changing
A child born in 2021 will experience, on average, seven times as many heat waves, two times as many bushfires and nearly three times as many droughts, crop failures and river floods as their grandparents.
In South Asia, three in four children are already exposed to extremely high temperatures, and they are expected to face more frequent and severe heatwaves, largely due to climate change.
How climate change is affecting children now
Air pollution
Air filled with bushfire smoke, exhaust or general pollution damages kids’ lung tissue far worse than adults, making conditions like asthma more prevalent and extreme.
Rising temperatures
Children heat up quicker than adults and sweat less, which makes it harder for their bodies to cool down in rising temperatures.
Natural disasters
Children can lose their home, loved ones and have food, water, health and education, disrupted. Months or years after the events, children can be disturbed with PTSD, sleep terrors and anxiety.
Lead toxicity
As temperatures rise, the ground becomes drier and dustier, causing any lead that’s in the soil to move into the air. Lead damages the nervous system, causing neurological disorders and brain damage.
Vector-borne diseases
Vector-borne diseases are diseases carried by insects to humans. Rising temperatures are ideal conditions for pests like mosquitos who carry diseases like malaria. With weaker immune systems, children are far more vulnerable.
How will my donation help children affected by the climate crisis?
Help build infrastructure that gives safe drinking water to drought-stricken towns.
- Rebuild schools and services in areas ravaged by disasters.
- Provides nutrition to children suffering from malnutrition.
- Stock emergency supply hubs in areas likely to be impacted by climate disaster.
- Creates safe air spaces for children.
- 82¢last year, 82 cents of every dollar donated went to our emergency response work in the field and helped us to be there for children before, during and after emergencies around the world.
- 18¢last year, 18 cents in every dollar were invested in raising public awareness; fundraising to grow our impact for children and in essential accountability and administration work.
How do we use each dollar donated?
Your generous gift will help support UNICEF's work for children in emergencies and for all children in need around the world.
Looking for other ways to support UNICEF's work?
Climate Emergency
Climate is the biggest threat facing the world's children today. Protect them in a changing climate by donating today.