RESILIENCE

Children are facing more extreme weather in an increasingly unequal world. Climate-related heatwaves, droughts and flooding destroy crops, livestock, and livelihoods.  Millions of families today can’t afford to feed their children or send them to school. Conflict, climate change and the cost-of-living crisis are making poverty worse worldwide – especially for children and their families who are forced to leave their homes.  

Without addressing the climate crisis directly, today's children will bear the greatest burden, especially those living in the most vulnerable regions in the world.

All children have the right to a social safety net so they can cope with shocks, adapt to climate change and break out of poverty.  Donate today to support children today and future generations.

They are watching their homes and schools vanish in floods. They are going hungry as crops fail in relentless droughts. Their health and their lives are threatened by scorching heat and fast-spreading diseases.  

The impacts of climate change on children are lifelong, irreversible, and deeply unjust.  

Climate change affects us all, but children are particularly vulnerable and disproportionately impacted. Children facing hunger, poverty, discrimination and conflict, are suffering most of all.

• 774 million children live with the dual threat of high climate risk and poverty.
• Nearly every child alive now faces at least one climate shock a year, such as a cyclone or heatwave.
• Children born today will face 6.8x more heatwaves, 2.8x more crop failures, 2.6x more droughts, and 2.8x more floods in their lifetime compared to those born in 1960.

Around the world, children are raising their voices, sharing solutions, and demanding change. But governments and world leaders are not listening, and children continue to be overlooked in climate action. Children cannot wait. Leaders must finally turn promises into action and deliver the climate justice every child deserves. 

As the world’s leading child rights organisation, we’re tackling climate across everything we do, from responding to climate-related disasters to providing climate-resilient farming in the Solomon Islands to elevating children’s voices in Kosovo and helping communities build resilience. We are:

• Working to make sure children and their families have strong welfare systems, cash assistance, and climate-smart livelihoods, so they and future generations can cope with shocks and break out of poverty. Through stronger welfare systems and proven livelihood support, we’ll see families through the unexpected tough times, protect their livelihoods against climate change and help secure a better future for their children long-term.
• Leading the way on understanding how climate change hurts children, and responding with smart, evidence-based solutions.
• Supporting children and displaced families in urban slums, and innovating to create neighbourhoods where healthy, happy children can thrive.
• Supporting children to hold their leaders accountable – locally, nationally and globally – and speaking out together for fairer climate policies, greater financing and faster emissions cuts.
• Using data and forecasting to help communities anticipate and prepare for climate emergencies, because most extreme weather events can be predicted.
• Working with partners to protect children from the impacts of climate shocks, including when they’re forced to flee.  
• Keeping children learning even when schools are washed away, and we teach children skills fit for new green economies.
• Protecting children from diseases and ensure healthcare systems can withstand shocks and can adapt to our changing climate.

World leaders have been too slow to make the systemic changes needed for sustainable development, to protect children and the planet. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Children are speaking up and leading the way towards a better world and it’s time for us to follow their lead. We must listen to their calls for action and find lasting solutions that support and protect children. 

Save the Children has a unique role in amplifying children's voices and encouraging leadership in the climate movement. We aim to continue to support children to be part of the solution and influence decisions by world and local leaders – especially the most marginalised who are disproportionately affected by climate change. We’re campaigning for and with children to hold leaders accountable for addressing climate change, creating well-funded safety nets and building fair, green, equal societies. Together we are calling for urgent action on the climate crisis as well as inequality to create a safe, healthy, and happy future for children. 

Learn more about a generation fighting for action on the climate crisis.

We will continue to stand side by side with children campaigning for a cleaner environment and a safer world and helping communities become more climate resilient.

We are working with partners to achieve the following goals: 

• To ensure the international community and states acknowledge the global climate crisis is a child rights crisis that needs to be addressed with children as agents of change. 
• To minimise the impact that climate shocks have on the most marginalised children and ensure our programmes support climate adaptive development pathways. 
• To reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts.

 One of our partners is WWF International. Together we are using our combined networks to influence major policy decisions, tackle the climate crisis and prevent further harm to children's lives. We are also working with children and their communities to prepare for and reduce the impacts of climate-related shocks. Read more.