Children and climate crisis

THE COUNTRY faces at least 15 typhoons this year. We should be deeply concerned for the safety and welfare of children from 5.6 million low-income households who are exposed to various risks and hazards from disasters and emergencies.

With the Philippines ranking first in the 2022 World Risk Index with the highest risk of disasters in the world, families living in poverty have less protection from the impacts of climate disasters and have less support and resources to adapt to climate-related change.

Also, consider these findings: Save the Children’s “Born into the Climate Crisis” report revealed that 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.

Its study “Generation Hope: 2.4 billion reasons to end the global climate and inequality crisis” also found that an estimated 774 million children – one third of the world’s child population, including the Philippines – are living with the dual risks of poverty and high climate risk.

During climate emergencies, many affected families find it hard to send their children to school or even access healthcare. Children suffer the most because they look for work to help augment their daily needs. Filipino girls are at greater risk of being abused, neglected, exploited, or subjected to child marriage.

No child deserves to grow up in poverty and an unsafe environment. But the reality is grim. Millions of Filipino children remain poor due to inequality and discrimination, and their situation is exacerbated by the climate crisis. Many of them lack access to basic services on health, education, proper nutrition, or adequate housing.

The government should work on building the resilience of children and families from the negative impacts of the climate and inequality crises. Together with concerned sectors, it should prioritize actions that would contribute to a safer, fairer, and healthy environment for children. The government may in fact make child-centered its climate change mitigation and adaptation plans.

Without urgent and concrete actions to mitigate the negative impact of climate change and support for the most vulnerable families, we are at a setback in fulfilling children’s right to survive, learn, be protected, and thrive.