Leaders must act now to prevent catastrophic climate change from destabilising the future of young people around the world,children warned ahead of COP26.
Child campaigners from Norway, Sri Lanka and Zambia said [AT1] [HS2] time was running out to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels and prevent an ‘intergenerational injustice’.
Recent research released by Save the Children and the VrijeUniversiteit Brussels (VUB) found that children born in 2020will face far more heat waves, floods, droughts and wildfires than their grandparents under emission reduction pledges agreed in Paris in 2015. Children in lower- and middle-income countries, and disadvantaged communities, will be worst affected, the report said.
Dilmani, 14, of Sri Lanka, said: “I often see the impacts of climate change in my country – whether it’s drought, flooding or landslides. Often, this means children can’t go to school as they can’t physically get there. We can see first-hand here how climate change is already having an impact on education. This makes me sad as education is a basic need – it’s our future.”Emanuel, 14, is a climate activist and part of a children’s climate panel in Norway. He said:
“We children may not be climate-scientists, but we know something important. We must act now! Before it’s too late, then we will regret it. The leaders today have the future of mankind on their shoulders, our future.”
The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, Save the Children argues.It is reshaping our world with grave implications for today’s children and future generations.