More than one billion children are facing at least three overlapping climate hazards, with millions of them having no necessary services to cope, according to a June report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The report titled ‘Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026’, studied how children around the globe are exposed to multiple climate hazards, including coastal floods, drought, extreme heat, fire, heatwaves, riverine floods, sand and dust storms, and tropical storms. 

The results of the study showed that 1.1 billion children, which represents almost half of the world’s children, are at risk from at least three of the aforementioned climate dangers at once. The hazards are subsequently affecting the health, education, and survival of the population. 

“Almost all children are now exposed to at least one of the following climate hazards: Coastal floods, drought, extreme heat, fire, heatwaves, riverine floods, sand and dust storms, and tropical storms. 

“Nearly half of the world’s children – 1.1 billion children – are at risk from at least three overlapping climate hazards, threatening their health, education, and survival,” the report noted. 

Furthermore, at least four million of those children are facing as many as six overlapping threats. The report also considered children’s exposure to climate-sensitive hazards such as air pollution and vector-borne diseases like malaria. 

“The climate crisis doesn’t manifest as a single event. For millions of children, the reality is a complex and dangerous combination of multiple, overlapping hazards. These compounding threats overwhelm the capacity of unprepared social services and undermine the resilience of families and communities,” the report mentioned.

Additionally, the report found that countries with large populations of children such Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are at the top of rankings of nations with the highest absolute exposure to multiple climate hazards. 

Nigeria also joined Egypt, India, Pakistan as the countries with highest intensity multi-hazard exposures, while children in Sahel region, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Mali, South Sudan and Sudan are the most exposed children. 

Subsequently, UNICEF urged governments, business and relevant parties to ensure children’s rights to clean and sustainable environments by enacting urgent child-responsive climate policies, which include reduction of emissions, building environmental-friendly facilities and investment in climate education. 

“The global community is beginning to address these impacts. Through political will, partnerships, and collaborating with young people, the case studies in this report prove that progress is possible. 

“But the scale and ambition of action must be rapidly accelerated to ensure that every child is protected from climate impacts.A better future, for children and for our planet, is still within reach. We must act now,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell appealed.