Children and youth

This study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the prevalence and risk of child malnutrition following extreme weather events in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

A team found that for every standard deviation increase marine heat wave occurrences in a 24-month period child mortality increases by 5.4 percent. Malnutrition related child wasting and child stunting also increased by 6.5 and 8.8 percent respectively.

Seattle-based study is one of the first to examine wildfire smoke risk in childcare environments by studying how providers access information, perceive risks, implement protective actions, and if preferred strategies differ from current practices.

WMO is pleased to launch the Global Integrated Flood and Drought Management Competition for Youth-Led Projects supports innovative, youth-driven ideas that address the challenges posed by floods and droughts and advance Early Warnings for All (EW4All).

Climate change arrived this summer for the beloved TV characters and landscapes of Sesame Street, in a special episode where Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and friends have to get ready for extreme weather.

More than 260 young leaders from across the Arab region participated virtually in the Regional Youth Resilience Lab.

The study finds facilitators for inclusion of child health in adaptation policies by interviewing researchers and policymakers and provides a framework to guide efforts to include children’s health needs into responsive climate change adaptation policies.

As climate hazards intensify, conventional coping measures alone can no longer ensure safe, conducive learning environments. Schools now need innovative, climate-resilient solutions that ensure continuity of education during extreme summer temperatures.

As regulations have reduced prenatal exposure to harmful emissions from vehicles and industry in recent years, smoke from climate-fueled wildfires is erasing air quality gains.

Extreme heat, smoke, floods, and storms are disrupting education across the country.

Smoky summers are the new normal forcing a generation of children to grow up indoors. Repeated smoke events change children’s daily routines, limiting opportunities for outdoor play and social interaction and reshape how many families experience summer.

As the climate warms, young athletes face growing risks of heat illness – especially in communities without air-conditioned practice spaces.

UCLA and UC Davis researchers found the strongest associations on very smoky days and in areas with cleaner air overall.

Can a board game help children understand wildfire risk? Can an escape room teach them how to respond to a chemical incident?

The review explores the direct and indirect effects of climate change on children's learning, the mechanisms driving these impacts, and the interventions that can build resilience at individual, community, and system levels.

This booklet follows the COPE Squad as they travel from their base on Mount Emei, China, to Trinidad and Tobago to judge a lightning-safety video competition, and then to Uganda for Lightning Safety Day.

Heat Smart Schools is a guidance framework by CDRI to help schools adapt to rising extreme heat risks. With over two billion children projected to face frequent heatwaves by 2050, the document emphasizes that heat threatens health, learning, and equity.

This report reveals how children’s exposure to multiple, overlapping climate hazards, inherent physical vulnerabilities, and the gaps in the social services they rely on, undermines their rights and increases their risk of harm.

Climate hazards have always occurred naturally, but human-induced global warming is changing much of the world as we know it.

Child drownings spike during heatwaves – and it’s a serious climate justice issue

The report addresses the escalating climate crisis in Southern Africa, where the region has swung from severe El Niño-driven drought in 2023-2024 to devastating La Niña floods and cyclones in 2025-2026, affecting nearly 1.9 million people.

On 29 April 2026, Vanuatu marked its first national observance of the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes, bringing together partners to strengthen earthquake preparedness and disaster resilience.

Researchers interviewed 15 Australian primary school children aged between nine and 12-years-old about environmental change, which includes things such as pollution, climate change and deforestation.

The World Health Organization has recently published a conceptual framework on hashtag#maternal health, highlighting the importance of mitigating heat-related risks.

Researchers find ‘alarming’ effect on fertility across global species from simultaneous exposures

A study in Brazil links higher temperatures to worse nutrition measures in vulnerable children.

The theme of the fifth issue is listening to the experiences of Pakistani youth who have experienced devastating floods.

Using data from a sample of educated youth in Myanmar, this paper documents the relationship between various sources of chronic (ongoing and long-term) and acute (brief and intense) stressors with measures of hope and aspirations.

In many countries across the Northern Hemisphere, school reopens in early autumn — a time that is supposed to offer a welcome break from the intense summer heat.

Southern California’s Salton Sea was once a resort playground, with sunny beaches, celebrities and people waterskiing on the vast inland lake in the 1950s and ’60s. Today, those resorts are long gone, replaced by a drying and increasingly toxic landscape.

Exposure to extreme heat conditions is resulting in more babies being born with low birth weight, according to a new study involving Adelaide University researchers.

The article argues that climate education must include emotional resilience, as young people feel worry, powerlessness and disengagement. Supporting wellbeing, agency and meaningful action can better prepare them for a climate‑changed future.

Niue marked World Meteorological Day by launching Vagahau Niue COPE disaster-preparedness booklets to empower children and strengthen community resilience.

This special report focuses on the important role that children and youth can play in tackling urban heat and the urban heat island effect. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches are highlighted to showcase comprehensive strategies in action.

This publication promotes comprehensive community preparedness by helping readers adopt practical safety measures.

To counter the widespread misconception that Timor-Leste is safe from tsunamis, UNDRR teamed up with the Civil Protection Authority, UNESCO-IOC and Pacifico to hold a week of public awareness activities at schools to mark World Tsunami Awareness Day.

As climate-related disasters grow more frequent and intense, the challenge is no longer just about responding; it’s about acting early to protect the most vulnerable, especially children, before hazards reach their peak.

Over the past decade, communities across the United States have faced a steady rise in severe weather events. Climate Central reports more than 193 major disasters during this period, resulting in over $1.5 trillion in economic losses and 6,403 deaths.

The study found that children exposed to higher-than-usual temperatures were less likely to meet developmental milestones for literacy and numeracy, relative to children living in areas with lower temperatures.

GADRRRES shares a newsletter about the activities and events the alliance develops or participates. This news item shows the November 2025 issue table of contents.