A staggering 307,763 children in Greece are at grave risk from climate change, according to a UNICEF report released on Friday.
The UNICEF Greece Country Office report divulged the devastating impact of climate change on the well-being of children and young people in the country.
The report stated that 25 municipalities declared a state of emergency on the grounds of drought and water stress between May and September 2004.
Peloponnese, Thessaly and Western Greece are the three Regions of Greece with higher disaster risks.
The report, authored in collaboration with the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy, affirmed that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis, with children being disproportionately affected by escalating environmental disasters.
Can’t Stand the Heat
Consequently, 80 percent of teachers who participated in the focus group discussion stated that the schools they work or previously worked at are inadequately equipped to handle extreme weather events.
Almost 70 percent of students who participated in the poll reported that they could not attend their classes due to adverse weather during the last year.
“Disasters threaten all children’s inherent rights guaranteed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child to life, survival, protection, development, participation, and free expression,” said Aspasia Plakantonaki, UNICEF deputy representative in Greece, in a statement.
She added that climate change is not only changing our planet but also changing our children. Their voices are critical to drive progress, protect their rights and ensure they are heard and acted upon.
In August, the country declared a state of emergency in the port city of Volos as thousands of dead freshwater fish blanketed it after they were displaced during intense Greece’s central Thessaly region flooding last year.
The report stated the floods could lead to malnutrition due to the scarcity of fish and vegetables and contribute to the rise of gastroenteritis, adversely affecting children’s health, as witnessed in the region of Thessaly.
The Crisis is Real
The analysis also included mapping children’s vulnerabilities across Greece’s 13 regions. It provided critical insights into how wildfires in forests due to high temperatures could expose children to respiratory ailments like asthma due to the poor air quality resulting from burnt forests, damage to biodiversity and impoverishment of the environment.
In July 2023, Greece witnessed devastating fires ravaging parts of the country due to record-breaking temperatures and drought conditions, fanned by gusty winds, which caused the fires to burn out of control and spread over large areas.
As the climate crisis continues to pose a significant threat to children’s rights and well-being, the call for action has never been more pressing.
Stakeholders at all levels must work collaboratively to safeguard the future of the young members of society, ensuring they grow up in a world where the escalating challenges of climate change do not compromise their safety, health and rights.
