Children
are the least responsible for climate change yet will bear the brunt of its
impact. Approximately 160 million children live in high drought-severity zones
with around 500 million which makes almost a quarter of the world’s child
population living in extremely high flood occurrence zones. It is projected
that by 2040, almost 600 million children will be living in areas of extremely
high- water supply stress conditions.
Child
rights deprivations resulting from climate change include among others; malnutrition,
preventable illness and death from environmental hazards predominantly in
children under five years, water-borne diseases with thousands made sick by
polluted water, an offset of developmental gains in education due to damage or
destruction of school facilities, extended disruption of education, and limited
access to schooling.
Botswana
is no exception as the country faces significant adverse health effects due to
climate change, primarily due to the expected increasing incidence of rising
temperatures, floods, droughts, and changing disease patterns. The country has
a high incidence of climate-sensitive diseases and the risk of vector-borne
diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are likely to increase. Effects will
be manifested through the increase in vector-borne and waterborne diseases,
severe malnutrition, and increases in flood incidence and displacement of
people. All these adversely affect children in Botswana with most cases
occurring in the Northern Districts, with Bobirwa, Tutume, Serowe, Palapye, and
Boteti as these are transition zones for malaria.
To
this effect, UNICEF’s upcoming Climate Action Plan and the COP28 Presidency
will focus on youth skills and education with a U-Report poll launch focusing
on the extent to which young people feel prepared to adapt to the impacts of
climate change. The results will be used to amplify the views of young people
ahead of major climate events, primarily COP28, and bring attention to the
actions that need to be taken to support children and youth in the future.
Among
other things, the U-Report aims to amplify the voices and actions of young
people who are being affected by the impacts of climate change ahead of COP28,
expand the access and opportunities for young people to contribute to the
global consultation and Global Youth Statement for COP28, provide an additional
mechanism for UNICEF offices, youth organizations, the COP28 Youth Climate
Champion and YOUNGO chapters to consult with youth through the LCOY and RCOY
process.
A
total of 252 U-Reporters participated in the recently conducted U-Report
Climate and COP28 Poll in Botswana, 40% of U-Reporters indicated that they have
learned about the climate crisis at school however, the education they received
was not enough and this presents bottlenecks in Botswana's education
curriculum. 56% of U-Reporters are aware of the importance, implications, and
risks that come with learning about climate change and how to respond to it. In
as much as educating students on how they can contribute to climate change policies
should be prioritized, the Poll statistics however indicate that 47% of
U-Reporters are not aware of how they can engage while 65% of U-Reporters feel
that they are receiving the training and skills to help them respond to climate
change and its impacts.