Children bear the brunt of climate change

Children will be severely affected by climate change in Eastern and Southern Africa, warns a report released by Plan and Practical Action. The effects of climate conditions are becoming visible by the day, and children are experiencing them the most, the report states. Children bear a disproportionate burden of the consequences of climate change such as an increase in hunger, disease, population displacements and resource-based conflicts. For example, the report says, the time spent to access safe water is increasing.

For 75% of the households in the study it required 30 minutes to get to a water source and for 18% it took between two and three hours. Women (63%) and children under five years (25%) were more affected by water shortages. ‘Sometimes women have to camp overnight near the waterholes until they fill up again, exposing them to a series of risks,’ the report says.

Læs mere her!