MANILA, Philippines — The bodies and minds of children are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as child malnutrition in the Philippines is worsened by crop failures and rising food prices, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
UNICEF Philippines said “the bodies and minds of children in the Philippines are vulnerable to polluted air, poor nutrition, and extreme heat.”
A new UNICEF report said child malnutrition in the country is worsened by crop failures and rising food prices, which is exacerbated by higher temperatures and increased rainfall linked to climate change.
As the climate changes and water supply and services are affected, children’s mental and physical health are also changing, the report warned.
One in three children – or 739 million worldwide – lives in areas exposed to high or very high water scarcity, with climate change threatening to make this worse. The double burden of dwindling water availability and unsafe drinking water and sanitation services is compounding the challenge, putting children at even greater risk.
In the Philippines, only 45 percent of school-aged children have access to an improved water source with a regular supply of water. Some 26 percent of school children drink water from unimproved sources or have no access to water in schools at all. Pervasive drought in some areas exacerbate water scarcity and threaten food security. Typhoons and flooding, which have become more frequent, damage water infrastructure.
The Philippines is also ranked 57th out of 167 countries that are likely to undergo water stress by 2040. This suggests that without intervention, between 40 and 80 percent of the country’s total water supply is expected to be depleted by that year. Urgent action is required to address and mitigate the potential impacts on water resources.
The report, a supplement to UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk (2021), also outlined myriad other ways in which children bear the brunt of impacts of the climate crisis. From the moment of conception until they grow into adulthood, the health and development of children’s brains, lungs, immune systems and other critical functions are affected by the environment they grow up in.