The future is looking increasingly bleak for children born after 2020, as a recent study reveals the devastating impact of climate change on their lives. The research, conducted by scientists at the Université libre de Bruxelles, highlights the unprecedented exposure these children will face to extreme weather events, with dire consequences for their health and well-being.
The study found that children born in the 21st century will experience far more extreme weather events throughout their lives than their parents or grandparents did. In a scenario where warming reaches 3°C, these children will face:
- Five times as many droughts as a child born in the pre-industrial era
- Twice as many wildfires
- Four times as many failed crop years
- And 36 times as many heatwaves (not a typo!)
But the most alarming finding is the number of children who will face unprecedented exposure to extreme weather events. According to the scientists, it’s defined as a level of exposure so high that in a world without greenhouse gas emissions, it would have only a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening.
The study estimates that on a 1.5°C-warming trajectory, 52% of children born in 2020—that’s over 60 million people—will experience unprecedented exposure to heatwaves over their lifetime. If warming reaches 3.5°C by 2100, that jumps to 92%—around 111 million children.
The impact of climate change is not limited to heatwaves. The study also found that:
- 29% will see unprecedented failed harvests
- 14% will face catastrophic floods
These percentages, of course, vary by country and by different greenhouse gas emission scenarios.
The study also highlights the unfairness of climate change. The people living in countries that contributed the least to global temperature increases are set to bear the worst consequences. This is a terrifyingly real and close-to-home irony, as the study was conducted in Brussels, Belgium.
The findings of this study are a stark reminder of the urgent need to take action to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The future of our children is at stake, and we must act now to ensure that they have a livable planet to call home.
