Scientists have predicted that long-term effects of climate change will include a decrease in sea ice and an increase in permafrost thawing, an increase in heat waves and heavy precipitation, and decreased water resources in semi-arid regions.
Below are some of the regional impacts of global change forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:
- North America: Decreasing snowpack in the western mountains; 5-20 percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some regions; increased frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in cities that currently experience them.
- Latin America: Gradual replacement of tropical forest by savannah in eastern Amazonia; risk of significant biodiversity loss through species extinction in many tropical areas; significant changes in water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.
- Europe: Increased risk of inland flash floods; more frequent coastal flooding and increased erosion from storms and sea level rise; glacial retreat in mountainous areas; reduced snow cover and winter tourism; extensive species losses; reductions of crop productivity in southern Europe.
- Africa: Between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress; yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent in some regions; agricultural production, including access to food, may be severely compromised.
- Asia: Freshwater availability projected to decrease in Central, South, East and Southeast Asia by the 2050s; coastal areas will be at risk due to increased flooding; death rate from disease associated with floods and droughts expected to rise in some regions.
Climate Change Is a Grave Threat to Children’s Survival
Right now, in the U.S. and around the world, children's lives are under threat due to climate change. Nearly 710 million children are currently living in countries at the highest risk of suffering the impact of the climate crisis. However, every child will inherit a planet with more frequent extreme weather events than ever before.
Extreme events, including wildfires, floods and hurricanes, have become a frightening new normal. Hotter temperatures, air pollution and violent storms are leading to immediate, life-threatening dangers for children, including difficulty breathing, malnutrition and higher risk of infectious diseases.
Save the Children is a global leader working in the U.S. and around the world to help children and their communities prevent, prepare for and recover from climate-induced disasters. Your donation today supports this life-saving work. Make a one-time donation to the Children's Emergency Fund or join Team Tomorrow to connect with the causes you care about - like the climate crisis - through your monthly donation.
What Are the Effects of Climate Change on Future Generations?
While climate change affects everyone, those who have contributed the least to the crisis—children, those in poverty, and future generations—are the most affected.
Statistics About Climate Change and Children
The climate crisis magnifies inequality, poverty, displacement and may increase the likelihood of conflict.
- 90% of diseases resulting from the climate crisis are likely to affect children under the age of five.
- By 2050, a further 24 million children are projected to be undernourished as a result of the climate crisis.
- By 2040, it is estimated that one in four children will be living in areas with extreme water shortages.
- Almost 160 million children are exposed to high severe and prolonged droughts.
- The education of around 38 million children is disrupted each year by the climate crisis.
- The climate crisis is forcing families to migrate. By 2050, there could be 143 million more migrants due to the climate crisis.
Our Work to Help Communities Prevent, Prepare for and Recover from Climate-Induced Disasters
Because the climate crisis impacts all aspects of children’s lives, so does Save the Children’s work.
Save the Children’s work ranges from food security programs for families suffering severe drought in the Horn of Africa, to providing emergency relief supplies for those recovering from the West Coast wildfires.
From green jobs that secure livelihoods, to hunger, to health impacts, to advocacy and more, Save the Children’s experts consider the short- and long-term impacts of the climate crisis and how our programs can support the present and future of children in the U.S. and around the world.
Our Humanitarian Climate Change Unit researches impacts on children; develops analytical tools to predict climate shocks; and uses these tools to take action in communities before they are hit by devastating climate events.
In 2019 Save the Children Australia became the first non-environmental NGO to be accredited by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In 2022, the organization signed a deal with GCF and the governments of Vanuatu and Australia to deliver the Pacific region’s largest ever investment in community-based climate change adaptation in Vanuatu.
Learn More About the Impact of the Climate Crisis
Addressing the Climate Crisis
Together with children and their families, we are pushing governments to recognize the climate crisis.
Climate Crisis: Hunger in the Horn of Africa
For millions of children affected by the drought-driven hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, time is running out.
Worsening Drought Threatens Somalia’s Children
The climate crisis is a major driver of extreme weather conditions including drought.
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