Effects of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation on Young Children: Implications for Policy

Authors: Alicia Lutomia, Moses Abiero, Rose Kamasara, George Evans Owino Institutional Affiliation: African Early Childhood Network (AfECN) The effects of the climate crisis and environmental degradation on children, especially during early years, cannot be underestimated. It threatens their survival and ability to grow and thrive, despite them being the least responsible contributors. A desk review was conducted to document the effects of Climate Change on Young Children in the African Region, and the findings indicated that, cumulative impacts of climate induced shocks to children at the family level (material deprivation, parental health and stress) and community level (schools, neighbourhoods) in early life could have negative and long-lasting effect on their lives through adulthood. Often the recommended interventions to reduce climate risk, particularly for the youngest children, include developing multi-sectoral, child-sensitive policies that prioritize mitigation, adaptation and building climate resilience. This calls for collective action involving all stakeholders including international community, regional bodies, government ministries and agencies, policy makers, environment activists, CSOs, community activists as well as families and children. In this regard, there is a need to aggressively integrate a child-sensitive approach in climate and environment policies and plans, at regional, national and sub-national levels with the goal of putting young children at the centre of climate action.