Global warming poses serious risks to children’s health and wellbeing, thus the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) called on nations to “act now” to mitigate its effects.
The United Nations agency noted in its most recent report, “A Threat to Progress,” that youngsters are more vulnerable as “days with temperatures higher than 95°F” are “increasingly common.”
“Almost half a billion children live in areas experiencing at least double the number of extremely hot days as their grandparents — many without the infrastructure or services to endure it,” the report stated.
Warning: “Children are not little adults,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF. Younger bodies chill down more slowly and heat up more quickly. Extreme heat poses a particular concern.
