Picture the five-year-olds in your life—their laughter, their boundless curiosity, and their dreams for the future. These children, born in 2020, are at the heart of a new report that paints a stark picture of what their world could become if we fail to act on climate change.  

Children are uniquely vulnerable to climate change due to their still-developing physical and psychological systems, which make them particularly susceptible to environmental stressors such as disease, water and food scarcity, and disrupted access to basic social, health, education, and child protection services. 

While children are already carrying the heaviest burden of a crisis they did not nothing to create, their lives will be further shaped by the decisions we make today.  Will they inherit a planet that nurtures their potential, or one that challenges their very survival with relentless climate extremes? 

Children are on the frontlines of the climate crisis

A new report by Save the Children, in collaboration with scientists from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, highlights the stark reality of what lies ahead if we fail to act. 

Limiting global warming to The Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C by 2100 is not just an objective; it's a lifeline for millions of children around the globe. If we remain on our current path of what countries have pledged to do to mitigate climate change, leading to a 2.7°C increase, the cost is staggering. 

The difference between these scenarios is not just numbers—it's the difference between hope and hardship for all generations to come.  Children’s rights to health, education and survival amongst others are under threat. 

Vepaiamele’s story: ‘Our homes are flattened to the ground’

In the heart of the Pacific, on the island of Vanuatu, a 15-year-old girl named Vepaiamele stands as a testament to the resilience and courage of children already facing the relentless impacts of climate change. 

The effects of climate change on children in Vanuatu are heartbreaking. Every cyclone, our classrooms are destroyed, our homes are flattened to the ground, and our infrastructure and essential facilities like hospitals and communication towers are ripped apart.

Vepaiamele's experience is a poignant reminder that the climate crisis is here now and threatening children worldwide. The triple planetary crisis—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—poses unprecedented challenges to humanity. Yet, it is children, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries, who are bearing the brunt of these impacts. 

Keeping “1.5 alive” is a lifeline and could spare half of today’s five-year-olds from unprecedented lifetime exposure to climate extremes  

Climate scientists have quantified how much we stand to gain from achieving the Paris Agreement Target: About half of today’s five-year-olds – 58 million children born in 2020 [1] in total - would be spared from facing a lifetime of unprecedented exposure to six different climate extremes.

This means 38 million children could grow up without unprecedented exposure to heatwaves and 8 million could avoid unprecedented exposure to crop failures and the hunger that follows. 5million would not have to fear the unprecedented exposure to river floods, while another 5 million would be safe from the devastation of experiencing unprecedented exposure to tropical cyclones. 2 million would be spared the harsh realities of unprecedented exposure to droughts, and 1.5 million would escape facing unprecedented exposure to destructive wildfires.

If global warming reaches 3.5°C by the century's end, things escalate even more with 111 million children—92% of those born in 2020—facing a lifetime of unprecedented exposure to heatwaves, that is 49 million more lives impacted than under a 1.5°C scenario.

The burden of heatwaves is not distributed evenly across the globe. Low-income countries, which have contributed the least to climate change, are poised to suffer the most. The children in these regions, already grappling with limited resources, will bear the brunt of climate-induced temperature extremes.  

The message is clear: our actions today will define the world these children inherit.  

Climate change is not a distant threat: it is a pressing reality that disproportionately affects those who have done the least to cause it and who are the most vulnerable to its impacts – children. The world’s 2.4 billion children are already bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, with those suffering from inequality and discrimination hit first and worst. 

Urgent action is needed on every front – to prevent further warming, help children adapt to climate change and respond to loss and damage. We have the power to change the story, to shift from a future of despair to one of resilience and hope. The time to act is now. 

The stakes are high, but the rewards of decisive climate action are immeasurable. Let’s stand with children like Vepaiamele and hear their calls to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, put children at the heart of climate adaptation and responses to loss and damage. 

While we are witnessing drastic aid cuts globally, scaling up climate finance is a precondition to protect children already carrying the burden of the climate crisis – particularly in low- and middle-income countries. 

How is Save the Children helping?

Despite the challenges, there are promising examples of child-responsive adaptation across sectors like health, education, and food security. Save the Children works with children, communities and partners to help families worldwide cope and adapt to the impact of climate change. 

This means using evidence and forecasting help communities most affected by climate change to adapt and prepare for extreme weather events, supporting access to education by making schools safe and resilient to climate extremes and providing access to healthcare and keeping children protected during climate shocks.  

The time to act is now. We must demand concrete changes in education, public facilities, and disaster preparedness. The severity of the climate crisis depends on our collective actions today.  Let’s stand with children like Vepaiamele and hear their calls for us to do better, now. 

[1] This estimate of the total number of children affected by unprecedented lifetime exposure to all six climate extremes is a simple sum and does not rule out the double counting of some children who are affected by unprecedented lifetime exposure to two or more climate extremes. Any double counting is minor and does not affect the conclusions.