Unicef: Two Billion Youngsters Are Exposed To Twice As Much Intense Heat As Their Grandparents Were
As to a recent analysis by UNICEF, nearly half a billion children worldwide currently reside in areas that encounter at least twice as many days with excessive heat as their grandparents experienced. This startling figure illustrates how quickly extreme heat events are becoming more common; 1 in 5 children, or 466 million, are now exposed to these hazardous conditions annually.
When UNICEF compares the average from 2020–2024 with statistics from the 1960s, it shows a sharp rise in the number of days that are excessively hot—defined as those that are higher than 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). Nearly half a billion children’s health and wellbeing are seriously threatened by this trend, many of whom reside in locations without the resources or infrastructure needed to withstand such high temperatures. “What used to be the hottest summer days are now the norm,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Children’s daily lives, health, and well-being are being disrupted by this extreme heat wave.”
Based on the analysis, country-level data reveals that, in comparison to six decades ago, children in sixteen countries today face more than a month’s worth of extra hot days annually. For instance, the average number of days in South Sudan that are extremely hot has increased from 110 in the 1960s to 165 now, and in Paraguay, the number has almost doubled from 36 to 71.
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