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Help Protect Children from the Impacts of Climate Change

An advocacy call to action: Join UNICEF USA in asking Congress to incorporate climate adaptation and resilience work as part of U.S. foreign assistance programs.

Climate change is endangering children and threatening their right to live in a clean and safe environment

Despite being least responsible for climate change, children bear the brunt of its impact.

In 2022, over 27 million children were affected by devastating floods across the world. The majority of affected children are at high risk a multitude of threats including disease outbreaks, lack of safe drinking water, malnutrition, and disruption in learning.  

Along with flooding, heatwaves continue to be a climate hazard that endangers the well-being of more and more children around the world. Already, there are 559 million children globally who are frequently exposed to heatwaves. By 2050, UNICEF projects that every child on the planet – over 2 billion – will experience their effects, as heatwaves grow increasingly severe, occur more often and last longer due to climate change.

The U.S. Government must act now to protect children from the impacts of climate change by incorporating the following practices into U.S. foreign assistance programs and policies:

  • Financing and enhancing the adaptation and resilience of services that children depend on most, such as water, health, education and nutrition
  • Reducing emissions and pollution
  • Developing child-centric climate change response plans
  • Empowering children as agents of change by including them in decision making on climate change programs and policy

Join us in calling on elected officials to prioritize the protection of children

Urge your Members of Congress to help protect children from the impacts of climate change. 

When you speak up for children, legislators will listen. Visit the UNICEF USA Action Center to learn more.