{"id":10594,"date":"2024-04-22T12:08:18","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T12:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/?p=10594"},"modified":"2024-04-22T12:09:29","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T12:09:29","slug":"unicef-calls-for-urgent-action-to-save-pakistans-children-on-the-frontlines-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/?p=10594","title":{"rendered":"UNICEF calls for urgent action to save Pakistan\u2019s children on the frontlines of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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On Earth Day, Statement by Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, on the damaging impact of climate change and pollution on children<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISLAMABAD<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cTorrential and unseasonal rains are currently sweeping through Pakistan, once again putting children\u2019s lives in danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a reminder of the devastating tragedy in 2022, when 500 children<\/a> lost their lives as 10 years\u2019 worth of rains were dumped on villages in southern Sindh. I saw firsthand how children were malnourished and the little they had swept away, including their schools and their hopes and futures. Despite significant aid efforts, 9.6 million children<\/a> were still in need of humanitarian assistance in flood affected areas by December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe disastrous floods are one example of how climate change and pollution are impacting children\u2019s health in Pakistan. Record-breaking temperatures put all children in Pakistan at risk of heat stress as they cannot remove excess heat from their bodies. Similarly, children are also more likely to suffer from air pollution than adults, leading to life-threatening respiratory diseases.  About 12 per cent of deaths in Pakistani children under five are due to air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYear on year, children in Pakistan are caught in a vicious cycle of drought and floods. From the moment of conception until they grow into adulthood, the health and development of children\u2019s brains, lungs, and immune systems, are affected by their environment. Children in Pakistan are at \u201cextremely high risk\u201d of the impacts of the climate crisis. However, Pakistan shoulders the twin burden of adapting to climate change while reducing global emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite what is at stake, we are failing to protect our environment. The mighty Indus River is a lifeline for Pakistan\u2019s people and children but is now at risk due to climate change, neglect, misuse, pollution, over exploitation and dumping of toxic waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis Earth Day, we must redouble our efforts to ensure no child in Pakistan suffers the consequences of climate change, pollution and related disasters again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere\u2019s how: We must cut greenhouse gas emissions from coal and fossil fuels to protect the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am a polluter – every time I eat or travel, I add to global emissions. But blame does not fall equally. According to Oxfam<\/a>, the world\u2019s richest 10 per cent is responsible for half of all global greenhouse gas emissions. That, among many other things, is heating the planet. Governments must take collective responsibility in line with the pollution they cause. We can also do more to save energy and use other sources like solar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must enact policies and legislation to address climate change and its disproportionate impact on children and women. Protecting children\u2019s health from toxic metals, chemicals, hazardous waste and air pollution is paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must invest in children. That means more money to address stunting and malnutrition, build schools, health centres, toilets and hand pumps that can withstand floods and cyclones. However, only 2.4 per cent  <\/a>from climate funds support projects for children. We urge world leaders to work towards making COP30<\/a> a children\u2019s COP to secure the 1.5-degree temperature limit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we fail to do so, more children will become vulnerable to disease, hunger and death. To ensure every child in Pakistan grows up in a safe and clean world, radical action is needed today. We owe it to the next generation, who are the custodians of our future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Earth Day, Statement by Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, on the damaging impact of climate change and pollution on children ISLAMABAD \u2013 \u201cTorrential and unseasonal rains are currently sweeping… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10595,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[618,620,619,606,622,621],"class_list":["post-10594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-global-issues","tag-children-in-pakistan","tag-childrens-cop","tag-childrens-health","tag-earth-day","tag-unicef-pakistan","tag-unicef-representative-in-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10594"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10597,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10594\/revisions\/10597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theasiantelegraph.global\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}