Climate change is with us now. We see the impacts all around us. Here in the UK, flooding is becoming a more common occurrence. Birds are nesting earlier, animals are moving territories, the duration and range of seasons is changing. Adaptation to the impacts in the UK will be costly even though we have good monitoring systems, programmes in place, and funding allocated at both central and regional level. Every day, the reporting on climate change highlights the risks and alerts people to measures they can take to both mitigate and adapt. We have a choice of media, a choice of funding and a choice of strategies.
Others are less fortunate. For the vast majority of people the impact of climate change means an increased risk of losing their homes and livelihoods, more disease, less security and sometimes death. Children in the world’s poorest communities are the most vulnerable. They are already seeing the impacts of climate change through malnutrition, disease, poverty, inequality and increasing risk of conflict – and ultimately an increase in child mortality rates.
All the essential effects we are seeing now are associated with a temperature increase since 1850 of less than 1º C. Past actions and the likely trend of emissions of greenhouse gases over the next few years imply that another 1 or 2º C will be hard to avoid, even with responsible action. Adaptation will be difficult but inevitable, and will be particularly costly for developing countries. Rich countries’ responsibility for the bulk of past emissions demands that we give our strong support. Business-asusual or delayed action would lead to the probability of much higher temperature increases which could catastrophically transform our planet. It will be the young and the poor and developing countries that will suffer earliest and hardest. We cannot allow this to happen.
This report draws attention to the impacts of climate change upon children. It strongly argues that both mitigation and adaptation are necessary as highlighted by the Stern Review, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the most recent Human Development Report. There is increasing global consensus on the way forward, including the need for international collective action.
UNICEF UK has provided a valuable contribution to the analysis and reporting on climate change, drawing attention to the specific risks faced by children, who are more vulnerable and in no way responsible for their position. They have no choice. The state of the planet that we pass on to the next generation – today’s children and young people – is our responsibility. Let us face up to this responsibility and address the specific needs of the most vulnerable: our children.
Lord Nicholas Stern
Publication details
Type: Reports
Format: PDF
Filesize: 2,000kb
Published: 02/04/2008
