ISLAMABAD: Demographic change, climate crises, and breakthrough technologies will impact children lives by 2050 as South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are projected to have the largest child populations in the mid-21st century, the United Nations Agency warned in its report released on World Children’s Day on Wednesday.
The report released as Pakistani children are already battling climate-related disasters as the provincial government of Punjab declared smog as a health crisis and closed schools to protect over 11 million children under five years of age from toxic air in many cities.
According to UNICEF, the future of childhood swings in the balance if immediate action is not taken to protect children’s rights in a changing world.
The State of the World’s Children 2024: The Future of Childhood in a Changing World, projects how three major megatrends will impact children’s lives by 2050 and beyond.
It added that the three major global trend demographic change, climate and environmental crises, and breakthrough technologies provide key hints of the challenges and opportunities children may face in the future.
“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“The projections in this report show that the decisions world leaders make today – or fail to make – define the world children will inherit. Creating a better future in 2050 needs more than just imagination, it needs action.”
Impact of Climate Change on Pakistani Children
The climate change challenge is already dire, with 2023 being the hottest year on record.
Pakistani children like other parts of the world also face sever problems due to climate change as the country’s state run news agency APP reported that 112 million children in the country, are vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
Pakistan makes satiny contribution to the total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (among the lowest in the world) but it is among the nations most vulnerable to climate change.
According to the United Nations’ Global Climate Risk Index Pakistan is ranked as the fifth most vulnerable nation to climate change.
In 2022, many areas of Pakistan were completely submerged by unprecedented flooding, killing over 1,700 people and injuring thousands.
Similarly, millions were become homeless and lacked clean drinking water for months after the floods.
According to UNICEF, despite significant help efforts, around 9.6 million children were still in need of humanitarian help in flood hit areas by December 2023.
Pakistan recently faced the challenge of smog and the provincial government of Punjab declared smog as a health crisis and also order to close schools to overcome the issue of climate change.
READ ALSO: Schools in Pakistan Reopen Today After Air Quality Improves
Earlier, the UN top agency called for urgent efforts to overcome the challenges of air pollution and protect children’s health, as more than 11 million children under five years of age are exposed to toxic air in the worst affected districts in Punjab last week.
“As smog continues to persist in Punjab, I am extremely concerned regarding the well-being of young children who are forced to breathe toxic air,” said the UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil.
According to the UNICEF report, in the decade of 2050-2059, climate and environmental crises are likely to become even more widespread, with eight times as many kids exposed to extreme heatwaves, three times as many exposed to extreme river floods, and about twice as many exposed to extreme wildfires, compared to the 2000s.
The report said that a child with access to climate-resilient shelter, health care, cooling infrastructure, education, and clean water has a greater chance of surviving climatic shocks compared to a kid without access.
The report also underlines the urgent need for targeted environmental action in order to protect all children and mitigate the risks they confront.
According to the UN agency report, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are projected to have the largest child populations in the 2050s.
They also indicate an aging population, with the share of children likely to decrease in every region of the world. While still high, the child population declines below 40 per cent in Africa – down from 50 per cent in the 2000s, the report said.
It falls below 17 per cent in East Asia and Western Europe – where children made up 29 per cent and 20 per cent of the populations, respectively, in the 2000s.
The UN child agency said that these demographic shifts also create challenges, with some nations under pressure to expand services for large child populations, while others balance the needs of a growing elderly population.
Meanwhile, the report also acknowledges that technologies – like Artificial Intelligence (AI) – offer both promise and peril for children, who are already interacting with AI embedded in toys, apps, virtual assistants, games, and learning software.
The report also contains some good development as life expectancy at birth is projected to increase.
Gains in children’s access to education over the last 100 years are also projected to continue, with nearly 96 per cent of children globally expected to have at least a primary education in the 2050s, up from 80 per cent in the 2000s.
This year, World Children’s Day – UNICEF’s annual day of action for children, is being commemorated under the theme, “Listen to the Future”.
“World Children’s Day is a moment for leaders to prove their resolve to the rights and wellbeing of every child,” said Russell. “We can shape a better future for tomorrow’s children, and we have to get started today.”
