UNICEF: More than 43 million children have been displaced due to weather-related disasters

Weather of Arabia - UNICEF issued a report stating that more than 43 million children have been displaced due to disasters related to weather and climate change, under the title “Displaced Children in a Changing Climate,” which is the first global analysis that monitors the number of children who were forced to leave their homes in the period between 2016 and 2021 , Due to floods, storms, drought, and forest fires. The report also outlines expectations for the next thirty years.

China and the Philippines record the highest number of child displacement ever due to weather

According to the new analysis, China and the Philippines are among the countries with the highest ever numbers of child displacement, due to the countries' exposure to extreme weather, the presence of a large number of children in the population, and progress made in early warning and evacuation capabilities.

UNICEF showed in its report that, compared to their proportion of the total population, children living in small island states such as Dominica and Vanuatu were the most affected by the storms, while children in Somalia and South Sudan were the most affected by the floods.

The displacement of children due to the weather is terrifying

“It is terrifying for any child” when their communities are hit by wildfires, storms or ferocious floods, said UNICEF Executive Director Katherine Russell.

For those who have to flee, the fear and impact can be "particularly devastating, with anxiety about whether they will return home, resume school, or have to move again," she added.

The UN official noted that the tools and knowledge necessary to respond to this escalating challenge facing children are available, “but we are moving very slowly.”

She stressed that there is a need to strengthen efforts to prepare communities, protect children at risk of displacement, and support those who have already been uprooted from their communities.

Weather caused the displacement of 40.9 million children between 2016 and 2021

The report explained that storms and floods caused the displacement of 40.9 million children between 2016 and 2021, partly due to improved reporting and more preventive evacuations. He added that drought waves led to the displacement of more than 1.3 million children, and Somalia was again among the most affected countries. As for forest fires, they displaced 810,000 children, a third of whom were displaced in 2020 alone, especially in Canada, Israel, and the United States.

UNICEF warned that children are particularly at risk of displacement in countries facing intersecting crises such as conflict and poverty, where local capacities to deal with any additional displacement of children are under severe pressure.

UN Photo/Fardosa Hussein - A mother and her children outside their temporary shelter in a camp for displaced people in Baidoa, Somalia.

96 million children are at risk of displacement due to weather in the coming years

UNICEF said in its report that using a disaster displacement risk model developed by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, river floods are expected to displace nearly 96 million children over the next 30 years, based on current climate data.

She added that the winds accompanying hurricanes and storms have the potential to push 10.3 million and 7.2 million children, respectively, towards displacement during the next thirty years.

The report stressed that as more severe weather events occur and become more frequent as a result of climate change, the actual numbers will almost certainly be higher.

Important firm measures to prevent the displacement of children due to extreme weather

UNICEF said it is working with governments in the most vulnerable countries to better prepare for and reduce the risks of displacement.

She said that as preparations are made for the Climate Summit (COP28) in Dubai in November, she urges governments, donors, development partners and the private sector to take a number of actions to protect children and youth at risk of displacement in the future.

Among these actions is protecting children and youth from the impacts of disasters and displacement exacerbated by climate change by ensuring that vital services for children are shock-responsive, inclusive and portable.

Children and young people must be prepared to live with climate change phenomena

The organization also urged to prepare children and youth to live in a climate-changing world by improving their ability to adapt and be resilient, and enabling them to participate in finding comprehensive solutions.

UNICEF also asked that children and youth - including those already uprooted from their homes - be prioritized in disaster, climate, financing, humanitarian and development policies, and investments to prepare for a future that is already happening.

Source: UNICEF