2020 was the hottest year on record. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are the highest they have been in at least 3.5 million years.
In many parts of the world, people are facing multiple climate-related impacts, including severe drought and flooding, air pollution and water scarcity.
This leaves children vulnerable to malnutrition and disease. Approximately 1 billion children are at an extremely high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis.
According to UNICEF, children in fragile contexts are among the most at risk of climate change. It's affecting their access to food, clean air and water, healthcare and education.
Almost every child on earth is exposed to at least one of these climate and environmental hazards. Without urgent action, this number will go up.
The EU continues to support UNICEF in providing for vulnerable children's critical needs.
Afghanistan: On a heavily polluted morning, a mother walks with her daughter across a snow-covered area of Kabul. Children are at increased risk of respiratory infections including pneumonia, from the burning of fossil fuels and other contaminants.
Bangladesh: Children riding a bicycle on a severely polluted road in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Air pollution in Dhaka is contributing to health complications like asthma, dust allergy, heart disease and lung cancer.
Cambodia: A man and his son wade through floodwaters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In 2020, the country was hit by some of the worst floods it has experienced in almost a decade, affecting the livelihoods of 900,000 people.
Cote d’Ivoire: Ki Mariam is a plastic waste collector in Abidjan. Over the next 30 years, the world may produce 4 times more plastic than ever before. She sells the plastic to a startup that turns it into construction materials for new schools.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: When heavy rains caused the Mutahyo River in to overflow in 2020, several villages were flooded. Our partner UNICEF supported the Government with a safe school reopening campaign that reached 3.6 million children.
Fiji: Students Ame, Paula, Ratu Luke and Semi Nataba, in the school library destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Yasa in Fiji in January 2021. EU partner UNICEF provided tents and basic supplies to help children study again and regain a sense of normalcy.
Guatemala: Hurricanes ETA and IOTA caused landslides and flooding affecting nearly 1.9 million people. Our partner UNICEF distributed 1,900 hygiene kits and supplied water tanks and water quality tests for the affected families.
Mozambique: A woman carrying a child, makes her way to a relocation centre through a flooded area. Families moved there seeking aid and shelter from Tropical Cyclone Eloise that brought powerful winds, torrential rain and severe flooding in January 2021
South Sudan: Due to heavy seasonal rains and flooding in 2020, our partner UNICEF focused on making clean water and sanitation, nutrition and immunisation accessible, as well as providing family tracing and reunification services.
Zambia: Women and children walk to collect water from a well in the Gwembe Valley. Since 2018, the area has been deeply affected by drought that has left 2.3 million Zambians in severe food insecurity.
Zimbabwe: The eastern parts of the country suffered the combined effects of Cyclone Idai in 2019 and severe drought in 2020. UNICEF supported preventative treatment to over 650,000 children and women at risk of malnutrition.
