Climate change displaces 43 million children in 6 years, UNICEF says

A recent report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) sheds light on the profound consequences of climate change on the world’s youth. According to the report, an alarming 20,000 children faced displacement daily between 2016 and 2021, with an estimated total of approximately 43 million children forcibly uprooted during this six-year span.

The primary factors driving these displacements were extreme weather events such as storms, floods, fires, and other natural disasters, exacerbated by the growing impact of climate change.

UNICEF’s report also serves as a stark warning, indicating that even under conservative estimates, which consider only the risks posed by flooding rivers, cyclonic winds, and floods, an astonishing 113 million children are expected to be displaced in the next three decades.

Droughts, a lesser-discussed consequence of climate change, compelled children to leave their homes at least 1.3 million times during the years covered by the report. Somalia experienced a significant portion of these displacements, though the report suggests that this number may be an underrepresentation. Unlike events like floods or storms, droughts do not provide advance notice, making evacuation nearly impossible.

Floods and storms emerged as the leading causes of displacement, affecting 40.9 million children, constituting a staggering 95 percent of all displacements. Children residing in regions like the Horn of Africa and small Caribbean islands found themselves particularly vulnerable due to the compounded challenges of conflict, fragile institutions, and poverty.

Displacement exposes children to a multitude of risks, including separation from their parents or caregivers, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, trafficking, and abuse. Moreover, it disrupts access to essential services such as education and healthcare. Adolescent girls, in particular, face heightened risks of early pregnancy and violence.

UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, expressed concern, stating, “It is terrifying for any child when a ferocious wildfire, storm, or flood barrels into their community. For those who are forced to flee, the fear and impact can be especially devastating, with worries about whether they will return home, resume school, or be forced to move again. While moving may have saved their lives, it’s also highly disruptive.”

This report underscores a critical issue – until now, children displaced by climate-related events remained largely invisible in statistical data. Existing displacement data rarely considered age as a factor, and various compounding factors like rapid urbanization, fragility, and conflict further exacerbated this oversight. UNICEF collaborated with the International Displacement Monitoring Center, a nonprofit based in Geneva, to map the areas where children were most affected by these displacements.

To address this pressing issue, UNICEF emphasizes the urgent need for policymakers and the private sector to incorporate child-specific risks arising from extreme weather events into climate and energy planning. The report calls for essential services such as education and healthcare to become “shock-responsive, portable, and inclusive” to aid children and their families in better coping with the growing threat of climate-related disasters.