Children increasingly exposed to overlapping climate risks worldwide, UNICEF warns

GENEVA, 16 June 2026 – “Imagine having to swim across a fast-moving river, known for its strong currents and crocodiles, just to make it to school.

“That’s a daily reality for 15-year-old Lorna and her classmates in Papua New Guinea. The bridge linking their homes to school was destroyed by floods, leaving them no safe way to cross. But getting to the classroom is non-negotiable, so they put their books and school uniforms in a bucket and swim in perilous waters.

“For these children, the impact of climate change is not an abstract or future concern. It is a reality pushing them to risk their lives to not miss out on school.

“Today, UNICEF has launched a new analysis that shows just how widespread this reality has become.

“Almost every child in the world is now exposed to at least one climate hazard, such as floods, droughts, storms, or extreme heat. But one of the biggest concerns globally is that many children are facing multiple overlapping threats at once.

“The data show that nearly half of the world’s children – or 1.1 billion – are exposed to at least three climate hazards. In some parts of the world, children are facing as many as six climate hazards.

“These multiple overlapping shocks are building on top of each other and reshaping children’s lives.

“In the Sahel, for example, millions of children are already dealing with extreme heat, drought, and sand and dust storms – all at the same time. In countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Pakistan, children are exposed to more hazards, and at greater intensity, than almost anywhere else in the world. And in small island states, such as Haiti or Vanuatu, a single storm can overwhelm entire systems overnight.

“This is not a warning of what is to come. It is a recognition of our current reality. And an acknowledgement of how much worse it could get for children.

“When climate hazards overlap, the impacts compound. A drought can leave children hungry and malnourished. A flood that follows can contaminate water supplies and spread diseases like cholera. Each shock makes the next one more dangerous.

“Children cannot always recover from shocks before the next one hits. For the children I mentioned in Papua New Guinea, they adapted to one climate shock by swimming across a river to school. But what happens when the next shock comes, the flood waters rise, the river gets faster, and a dangerous journey becomes deadly.

“No country is untouched by climate risks but imagine a child in conflict-affected places – the Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti, or Sudan. Because they have much lower access to essential services, such as health care, nutrition, or water and sanitation, even a moderate flood or drought can put their life at risk.

“Today, 634 million children globally still lack safe drinking water and 1 billion lack safe sanitation. Climate hazards are making these already fragile conditions worse, by increasing the risk of diarrhea, for example – one of the biggest killers of children under five.

“At least 242 million children had their schooling disrupted by climate hazards in 2024, and many more children have been displaced from their homes, increasing the risk of family separation, violence, exploitation, and childhood trauma.

“Children have done the least to cause the climate crisis, yet they are paying the highest price.

“Our goal at UNICEF is to make children more visible and show where action is most urgent.

“By highlighting where hazards overlap and where children are most vulnerable, UNICEF’s latest analysis enables governments to identify those who are most at risk, and take action to strengthen essential services, protecting children before the next shock hits.

“We know what works: installing solar power to keep children learning during power outages, switching to groundwater aquifers for drinking water as surface water sources dry up, upgrading sanitation systems to recycle water for farming, and building shelters to protect children and their families from tropical storms.

“The message is clear. Climate change is not only changing the planet, but also children.

“Without urgent, child-focused climate action, the shocks they face today will only intensify. But with the right investment and political will, we can reduce risks, strengthen systems, and give children the chance to survive and thrive.”

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Note to editors

Multimedia materials related to the latest UNICEF climate report available here.
Lorna’s story in Papua New Guinea available here.
Link to the Children’s Climate Risk Report here.