Climate-Related Disasters Forcing Millions of Children from Homes

• 07 Oct 2023

UNICEF has recently expressed concern that floods, storms, and other climate-related disasters have displaced millions of children from their homes, and the situation is expected to worsen without action.

Key Points

• Child Displacement Crisis: Between 2016 and 2021, there have been 43.1 million internal displacements of children in 44 countries as a result of climate events like droughts and wildfires.
• UNICEF reported the highest number of weather-related child displacements in the East Asia and Pacific region, followed by South Asia.
• China and the Philippines are among the countries with the highest numbers of displaced children due to their exposure to extreme weather events, large child populations, and evacuation capabilities.
• Impact of Climate Change: UNICEF Executive Director emphasized that as the consequences of climate change intensify, climate-induced movement, especially among children, will increase.
• Climate change has led to a rise in extreme weather events in recent years, with floods and storms being the primary drivers of child displacements, accounting for 95% of cases during the six-year period.