Heat waves chilling threat to children's rights

China has experienced several severe heat waves in recent weeks. Scientific evidence is unequivocal: extreme weather events — heat waves, droughts, floods and typhoons — are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. These events are directly impacting children's health and wellbeing, often even before they are born.

The 2024 report of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), "A Threat to Progress: Confronting the Effects of Climate Change on Child Health and Well-being", shows a stark reality: globally, one in every five children — 466 million — live in areas experiencing at least twice as many extremely hot days each year as their grandparents did six decades ago. By 2050, every one of the world's more than 2 billion children will face frequent heat waves.

The consequences are profound. Heat waves increase the risk of premature births, low birth weights, and stillbirths. Babies born too early face lifelong health challenges because their bodies are not yet ready for life outside the womb.