Children’s exposure to severe climate disasters rises nearly 50%, analysis finds

LONDON: The number of children exposed to severe climate disasters each year rose nearly 50 percent over the past five years compared with the previous five-year period, according to a Save the Children analysis released on Monday, as world leaders gather for the UN climate conference COP31.

An average of 330 million children a year faced severe heat waves, droughts, tropical cyclones and extreme rainfall between January 2022 and September 2026, the organization said.

That was up from an annual average of 222 million in the earlier period.

About 205 million children were exposed to severe climate events in the first nine months of 2026 alone.