The Generation Paying The Price: UNICEF Says Climate Hazards Threaten Every Child In India

There is an old saying often invoked in environmental debates: we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

The latest findings from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) suggest that the debt is coming due.

Painting a disturbing picture, the UNICEF report says that nearly every child in India is now exposed to at least one climate or environmental hazard, such as extreme heat, droughts, floods, cyclones, air pollution and disease outbreaks.

At the same time, an overwhelming 97 per cent face two or more overlapping risks. The numbers are staggering.

An estimated 411.6 million children are exposed to at least two climate-related hazards. More than 234 million children — nearly 55 per cent of India's child population — face three or more simultaneous threats. These range from drought and floods to tropical storms, extreme heat, wildfires and dust storms.

Behind these figures lies a deeper concern. Climate change is not simply creating isolated disasters. It is creating a cascade of interconnected crises that strike at the foundations of childhood.

For instance, a flood may destroy crops. Crop failure may lead to hunger. Hunger may weaken immunity. Illness may keep a child away from school. A family pushed into poverty may withdraw a child from education altogether.

The consequences are rarely temporary.

According to the UNICEF report, drought is the single most widespread climate hazard affecting children in India. More than 410 million children live in areas exposed to agricultural or meteorological drought. Such conditions threaten food production, livelihoods and access to safe water.

Extreme heat is emerging as another major threat.

The report identifies drought and extreme heat as the most common combination of hazards, affecting nearly 159 million children. More than 84 million children face the combined burden of tropical storms, drought and extreme heat.

According to doctors, children are among the most vulnerable to rising temperatures. Their bodies heat up faster than those of adults. They are more susceptible to dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat-related illnesses.

Globally, climate-related disasters interrupted schooling for at least 242 million students in 2024. India alone accounted for nearly 55 million affected students, making it one of the worst-hit countries.

For children already struggling with learning gaps, repeated disruptions could have lasting consequences. In fact, the threats extend well beyond heat and education.

Data speak: floods continue to endanger millions of children living along river basins. Nearly 67 million children are exposed to riverine floods, according to the report. Floodwaters contaminate drinking water sources, increase the spread of infectious diseases and destroy homes and livelihoods.

At the same time, droughts reduce water availability and deepen food insecurity. The result is a dangerous cycle where children face both undernutrition and disease.

This is particularly alarming in a country where child malnutrition remains a persistent challenge. As per UNICEF, around 40 per cent of children in India already live in severe food poverty. Climate shocks could worsen the situation significantly.

Globally, climate change could contribute to an additional 28 million children suffering from wasting and another 40 million experiencing stunting by 2050 if urgent action is not taken.

Air pollution presents another silent emergency.

The report estimates that nearly 421 million children in India — almost the entire child population — are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution.

India received an air pollution risk score of 9.94 out of 10, among the highest levels recorded.

The health implications are profound, notes the UNICEF report. Exposure to polluted air has been linked to respiratory diseases, impaired lung development, cardiovascular problems and adverse effects on brain development. Various studies have shown that air pollution may affect learning abilities and long-term cognitive outcomes.

For millions of Indian children, clean air has become a privilege rather than a basic right. The report also highlights the climate-sensitive nature of infectious diseases.

Nearly 294 million children live in areas vulnerable to malaria transmission. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can expand mosquito breeding habitats, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, social protection systems remain inadequate.

UNICEF estimates that nearly half of Indian children under the age of 15 lack coverage under social protection programmes. Without financial support during disasters, vulnerable families often slip deeper into poverty.

The World Bank has previously warned that climate-related shocks could push as many as 45 million Indians back into poverty by 2030.

For children, poverty magnifies every climate risk.

It determines whether a family can access healthcare after a flood, buy nutritious food during a drought or afford to keep children in school when livelihoods collapse.

What is more disturbing is that the children bearing the heaviest burden today have contributed almost nothing to the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. Yet they are paying the highest price.

UNICEF has called for urgent action, including rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, stronger climate adaptation measures, resilient schools and healthcare systems, improved disaster preparedness and a faster transition away from fossil fuels.

Equally important, the agency argues, is ensuring that children are not treated merely as victims of climate change but as stakeholders whose needs and voices shape climate policy.