Climate change has been affecting every corner of human life. About 1 billion children around the world are at risk due to climate change, while the living standards of the young generation have not improved in the past 10 years. This warning was made by the Dutch NGO KidsRights in its latest report on the promotion of children's rights. The KidsRights Index Report was built by the KidsRights organisation in collaboration with Erasmus University in Rotterdam based on data from the United Nations agencies with the aim to assess how countries have been implementing the UN Conventions on children's rights.
According to the report, more than 33% (about 820 million) of children around the world are facing heat waves, while water scarcity affects 920 million children globally. About 600 million children, equivalent to one in every four children, suffer from diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. KidsRights Founder and Chair Marc Dullaert emphasised that the report is alarming for current and future generations of children that climate change is now threatening their futures and their basic rights.
The Italy’s Central Bank warned that global warming could stunt the growth of the country’s economy for decades to come, in which the agriculture and tourism sectors are the most seriously affected. According to this study, businesses in areas prone to landslides and floods are more at risk of severe damage. In addition, high temperatures and environmental pollution have had serious impact on students and workers. Accordingly, tests conducted on hot days record lower results than in normal weather conditions while work-related accidents are more common when the air quality is poor.
In July, the Italian government declared a state of emergency in the areas surrounding the Po River in the north, which contribute more than 30% of the country's agricultural output, when the region was struck by its worst drought in 70 years. According to the above study, Italy's GDP per capita can decline by 2.8-9.5% by 2100. In the tourism sector, the venues for winter sports have been affected the most. Specifically, the decrease in snowfall caused a significant reduction in the number of tourists visiting the Alps to ski, with artificial snow unable to make up for the lack of natural snow.
About 80% of the cities around the world are facing severe climate hazards such as heat, floods and droughts caused by climate change. This information was published by the international non-profit organisation CDP in its report on ‘Protecting People and the Planet’ following its a survey conducted in 998 cities.
The report showed that more than 30% of cities, with at least 70% of the population, are facing climate-related threats. Nearly 67% of cities are forecast to face increasingly severe climate hazards and 50% of cities are expected to suffer frequent disasters by 2025. Statistics show that floods in Pakistan have claimed the lives of nearly 1,700 people, while Hurricane Ian killed more than 100 people in Florida (the US). The CDP’s report affirmed that the elderly in low-income households, children, and minority communities are the most vulnerable.
Experts call for limiting activities that pollute the environment, putting people and the living environment at the centre in order to protect human health and develop the economy in a green and sustainable manner. To achieve that goal, it is necessary for synchronous cooperation among the governments, businesses, and people from the countries around the world.
