Beat the heat: Protecting children from heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia

This report notes that children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of heatwaves, putting them at risk of serious illness including heatstroke. Around half of children in Europe and Central Asia – or 92 million – are exposed to high heatwave frequency, according to an analysis of the latest available data from 50 countries published today by UNICEF in a new policy brief. This is double the global average of 1 in 4 children exposed to high heatwave frequency.

To help protect children, UNICEF urges governments across Europe and Central Asia to:

• Incorporate heatwave mitigation and adaptation into National Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plans (NAP), and Disaster Risk Reduction and disaster risk management policies, keeping children at the centre of all plans.
• Invest in primary health care to support prevention, early action, diagnosis, and treatment of heat-related illness among children, including training community health workers and teachers.
• Invest in national climate early warning systems, carry out local environmental assessments, and support emergency preparedness and resilience building initiatives.
• Adapt water, sanitation and hygiene, health, education, nutrition, social protection and child protection services to cope with the impacts of heatwaves.
• Ensure adequate financing to fund interventions that protect children and their families from heatwaves.
• Equip children and young people with climate change education and green skills training.