Horrific reality for this generation

CHILDREN born in 2020 in the Philippines will live through 4.9 times more scorching heatwaves, 2.3 times more river floods, 1.2 times more droughts and 1.5 times more crop failures than their grandparents or people born 60 years ago. Children in East Asia and the Pacific over the past year will face eight times more scorching heatwaves during their lives than their grandparents, according to a new research by Save the Children, nongovernment organization.  

The outlook is similarly bleak for South Asia, where children will live through 3.6 times as many crop failures as their grandparents. Children in poorer communities will be worst affected, as they are already at a far greater risk of battling waterborne diseases, hunger and even facing death due to malnutrition, increased floods and cyclones. Moreover, these climate impacts risk trapping millions more children into long-term poverty.

The data is part of Save the Children’s study “Born Into The Climate Crisis – why we must act now to secure children’s rights”, which outlines the devastating impact of the climate crisis on children if urgent action is not taken.  Under current pledges, children born in 2020 will face 7% more wildfires, 26% more crop failures, 31% more droughts, 30% more river floods, and 65% more heatwaves than if global warming were stopped at 1.5°C.

But there is still time to turn this bleak future around. If the rise is kept to a maximum of 1.5 degrees, the intergenerational burden on newborns is cut by 45% for heatwaves; by 39% for droughts; by 38% for river floods; by 28% for crop failures, and by 10% for wildfires, according to the study.

The study “Born Into The Climate Crisis” painted a harrowing picture of devastating wildfires, river floods, droughts, crop failures and suffocating heatwaves for this and future generations. It shows the horrific reality for this generation.

We’ve seen the effects of climate change. Super Typhoon “Yolanda” destroyed thousands of homes in 2013. But even before that, we were already experiencing a lot of climate-related disasters and each year it gets worse. In recent years we’ve had drought, extreme heat waves and landslides caused by heavy rains. The months that are supposed to be sunny have become rainy, and the months that are supposed to be rainy are sunny. If we remain complacent, we are guilty of handing over this catastrophic future to Filipino children who are among the most affected by the climate crisis.

The study is raising the red alert on climate crisis. Without a sustainable and healthy future, children’s right to survive is put at risk.