Children's future and safety at risk under the severe impacts of climate change

Climate change is no longer just a subject of global discussion; it has become a bitter part of children's daily lives. According to a report in 'The Kathmandu Post', a student expressed their distress, stating that when the news of school closures arrived, they felt a sense of fear for the future instead of joy. Natural disasters like unexpected rainfall and floods have created uncertainty in children's lives. These impacts of climate change are not limited to physical damage alone, but also directly affect children's mental health and their rights.

The devastating floods on 26 August in Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts affected approximately 84,270 people, including 32,021 children. These figures show that children are paying the highest price for climate change. When events like floods or landslides occur, children not only lose their homes or schools, but they are also deprived of basic necessities like safe drinking water, healthcare services, and shelter. This situation puts them at risk of violence, exploitation, and neglect. Malnutrition and food shortages have long-term negative impacts on their physical development and learning capacity.

Today's children and youth have made no significant contribution to creating this climate crisis, yet they are suffering its worst consequences. For previous generations, the cycle of seasons was predictable, where rain arrived at specific times and planning for agriculture was easy. But now, the weather has become so uncertain that even farmers cannot determine the right time for sowing. In this changing situation, children are growing up amidst pollution, school closures, climate-related anxiety, and uncertainty about the future. When their parents talk about the stability of their childhood, it has become just a fantasy for today's children.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, but it is also a child rights issue. When children's schools are destroyed, their learning opportunities, friendships, and sense of security are also snatched away. In this struggle, the dreams and aspirations of children are slowly fading. It is unfortunate that despite such severe impacts, children and youth are excluded from decision-making processes that directly affect their future. It is essential to listen to the voices of children in policies from local to global levels.

It is not enough to just protect children from climate change; it is also necessary to empower them to face this crisis. This generation is perhaps the first generation born amidst the climate crisis and has had to grow up with it. These children have never seen a world where there were no impacts of climate change. The question of how severe these impacts will be in the future is troubling every child today. In this situation, protecting children's rights and providing them with a safe environment should be the priority of the global community.

Climate change refers to long-term changes in the Earth's atmosphere, primarily caused by human activities and the emission of greenhouse gases. From a scientific perspective, this phenomenon is responsible for severe impacts such as the rise in the Earth's average temperature, melting of glaciers, and sea-level rise. Historically, the excessive use of fossil fuels in the period after the Industrial Revolution has increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which has played a major role in increasing global temperatures.