Heatwaves May Put Millions of Asian Children at Risk — UN.
According to UNICEF data, over 243 million children across the Pacific and East Asia are estimated to be affected by heatwaves, putting them at risk of heat-related illnesses and death.
Several countries in the region are currently sweltering in the summer heat, with temperatures nearing record levels, regularly surpassing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Local forecasters predict steeper rises in the coming weeks. In April, some Philippine schools suspended in-person classes as temperatures were forecasted to reach a “danger” level of 42 or 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the country.
In Thailand, a temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the northern province of Mae Hong Son earlier this week, just a few degrees shy of the record 44.6 degrees Celsius. Around 40 people die from heat-related illnesses annually in Thailand, according to the Thai Ministry of Health.
In February, neighbouring Vietnam endured a severe heatwave in its southern “rice bowl,” with temperatures reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius — an “abnormal” high for the period.
According to the UNICEF report, children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of climate change as they are less able to regulate their body temperature.
“Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of climate change, and excess heat is a potentially lethal threat to them,” said Debora Comini, Director of UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific.
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The report highlights that heatwaves and high humidity levels, commonly experienced in the region, can have a deadly effect as the heat hinders the body’s natural cooling mechanisms.
“We must be on high alert this summer to protect children and vulnerable communities from worsening heatwaves and other climate shocks,” Comini emphasized.
The UN projects that over two billion children are expected to be exposed to heatwaves by 2050.
