A report prepared by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), concluded that about half of the world’s 2.2 billion children live in 33 countries classified as “extremely high risk”, especially with regard to water scarcity and air pollution, and these numbers are likely to increase with the The effects of climate change are accelerating.

For the first time, UNICEF is preparing a ranking of countries on the basis of children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks, and their vulnerability to them. A report by the organization found that children are exposed to four types of risks caused by climate change: water scarcity or pollution, and air and soil pollution.

According to the report issued today by the organization, Jordan ranked 94th in the world after Japan, followed by Kyrgyzstan in the ranking of children at risk from the effects of climate change; While Sudan and Yemen ranked 15 and 23, respectively, i.e. among the “extremely high risk” countries. An estimated 850 million children (one out of every 3 children) globally live in regions where at least 4 of these climate and environmental shocks converge, and about 330 million children (one out of every 7) globally live in regions where Affected by at least five major shocks, according to “UNICEF”.

The report reveals the lack of correlation between the places that produce greenhouse gas emissions, and the place in which children suffer from the most important effects of climate change; The 33 “extremely high risk” countries collectively emit only 9 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, by contrast, the top 10 emitting countries collectively produce about 70 percent of global emissions, and only one country ranks out of these countries as “extremely high risk” in the index.

The statement stated that unless urgent measures are taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, children will continue to suffer the most compared to adults, and they will be less able to survive in extreme weather events, and more vulnerable to toxic chemicals, changes in temperature, and diseases. , among other factors.

The report considered the climate crisis to be a child rights crisis; Implementation of the Child Climate Risk Index is the first step in a comprehensive analysis of climate risks from a child’s perspective.

UNICEF Representative in Jordan, Tania Chapuisat, stressed, “The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, as every child in Jordan is now exposed to at least one climate or environmental shock, and these risks will intensify with the acceleration of the effects of climate change.”

Chapuisat called for “not to delay action on climate change. We need to work collectively to prioritize and strengthen climate action in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Jordan ratified in 1991, as the Convention offers a greater opportunity to better address the unfair challenges related to climate change facing the country’s most vulnerable children.”

In a statement, UNICEF confirmed that the Jordanian government supports children, in its national policy on climate change, and integrates green and climate-friendly initiatives through its programmes, noting that it is working to enhance the resilience of local communities in the face of climate change, especially communities with the most vulnerable groups. vulnerabilities, by raising their awareness of the risks of climate change.

In its statement, the organization called on governments, businesses and relevant actors to increase investment in making the main services provided to children resilient and resilient to climate change, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45 percent by 2030 compared to 2010 levels to maintain warming rates Within 1.5 degrees Celsius.

It also called for providing children with climate education and green skills, engaging young people in negotiations and decisions related to climate change at the national, regional and international levels, and ensuring that recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic is green, low carbon and inclusive, so as not to undermine the ability of future generations. to address and respond to the climate crisis.