Humans live the year with the least heat of the rest of their lives. How serious is it?

Some 559 million children are currently exposed to high-frequency heat waves, a number that is expected to increase by 2050 to encompass the estimated 2.02 billion children that there will be in the world by that date, according to new UNICEF research titled ‘The coldest year of the rest of their lives’.

UNICEF researchers examined potential exposure to three measures of heat: duration, severity and frequency, revealing that 624 million children are exposed to at least one of these challenges.

“Right now, one in three children lives in countries facing extremely high temperatures. Almost one in four is exposed to a high frequency of heat waves. And this is only going to get worse», said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.The dangers of heat

Heat waves are especially dangerous for infants, as they are less able to regulate their body temperature than adults.

In addition, climate changes, which can cause health problems such as chronic respiratory conditions, asthma and cardiovascular disease, have an increased risk of mortality for infants and young children.

Also, because extreme heat exacerbates droughts, it can also reduce access to food and water, which in turn leads to development problems and waves of migration.What can be done?

“At a minimum, governments must urgently limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and double funding for adaptation by 2025. This is the only way to save lives, children’s futures and the future of the planet», said Russell.

“As hot as this year is in almost every corner of the world, it is likely to be the coldest year we have left”, said Vanessa Nakate, climate activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

«The only option for us is to continue to force the situation, to act on them [world leaders] to adjust the course we are taking», warned Nakate.