UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026, released recently, carries a stark warning about the growing impact of climate change on children, with India figuring among the most vulnerable regions. The report estimates that 1.1 billion children – nearly half the world’s child population – are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards: drought, extreme heat, and heatwaves. It emphasises the fallout on children’s health, education, and survival. No child is entirely free from climate risk, while around four million of them face as many as six climate-related threats. These primary threats are compounded by secondary impacts, including air pollution and vector-borne diseases. UNICEF has mapped these risks in detail, providing a template for governments to design child-centric climate frameworks. It has called for strategies to improve education, healthcare, sanitation, and other essential infrastructure to help children withstand the impact of climate change. The report also underscores the need to integrate child-critical social services into national adaptation plans.
Children in India are significantly impacted, with nearly every child exposed to at least one climate hazard. Alarmingly, 97% face two or more risks, while 55% – over 234 million children – confront three or more such risks. These statistics need to be seen in a larger context for what they represent as real-world consequences: widespread malnutrition, disease, disrupted schooling, and denied development opportunities. Climate manifestations such as droughts, extreme heat, floods, and storms devastate agriculture, livelihoods, and broader economic stability. As society’s most vulnerable members, children suffer the heaviest toll during environmental crises. Although public rhetoric claims that the safety and welfare of women and children receive top priority during disasters, actual practice tells a different story.
In 2024, climate-related disruptions affected nearly 54 million students in India. India’s massive child population may have contributed to this statistic, but it still highlights a failure to shield children from such events. Climate change affects societies differently, with social inequalities considerably influencing the outcomes. The UNICEF report notes that 40% of children in the country experience food poverty, and almost half of those aged under 15 years lack access to social security programmes. Despite years of warnings regarding these environmental impacts, effective action has remained elusive. The report is yet another call for the world, and India, to step up with informed policies that keep pace with the evolving crisis. Systemic interventions to safeguard the youngest – and most vulnerable – citizens must be integral to the country’s climate strategy. (Source: DH)
