The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today, Friday, that floods, storms, and other weather-related disasters have forced millions of children to leave their homes, stating that the situation will worsen if no action is taken. The organization reported that 43.1 million children were internally displaced in 44 countries between 2016 and 2021 due to events like droughts and wildfires. UNICEF recorded the most instances of weather-related child displacement in the East Asia and Pacific region due to the range of risks there, followed by South Asia. Among the countries with the highest recorded numbers were China and the Philippines, which were affected by extreme weather events and have large populations of children and evacuation capabilities.
UNICEF's Executive Director, Catherine Russell, stated in a press release that "as the impacts of climate change escalate, so too will the resulting displacement." She added, "We have the tools and knowledge necessary to respond to this growing challenge facing children, but we are acting far too slowly."
