NEW YORK and TORONTO , Aug. 13, 2024 /CNW/ - One in 5 children – or 466 million – live in areas that experience at least double the number of extremely hot days every year compared to just six decades ago, according to a new UNICEF analysis. In Canada , children are more frequently exposed to extremely hot temperatures as heatwave frequency has doubled compared to 60 years ago.
Using a comparison between a 1960s and a 2020-2024 average, the analysis issues a stark warning about the speed and scale at which extremely hot days – measured as more than 35 degrees Celsius / 95 degrees Fahrenheit – are increasing for almost half a billion children worldwide, many without the infrastructure or services to endure it. "Rising temperatures, wildfire smoke, pollution, unsafe water and extreme weather events are increasingly disrupting children's lives - both in Canada and globally," said UNICEF Canada President and CEO Sevaun Palvetzian. "We urgently need to prioritize climate policies which uphold the right of every child to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Every climate action or funding decision Canada takes must ensure that the impact on children moves from the sidelines to front and centre." The analysis also examines country-level data and finds that in 16 countries, children now experience more than a month of additional extremely hot days compared to six decades ago. In South Sudan , for example, children are living through a yearly average of 165 extremely .