By; ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has revealed that more than 110 million children in Nigeria are at risk from the effects of climate change.
According to UNICEF, the number accounts for 10% of the over one billion children worldwide, who live in extremely high-risk countries from the effects of climate change.
Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kaduna, Gerida Birukila, made this known on Monday in Kaduna, at an event to commemorate the 2023 World Children Day tagged, ‘The Impact of Climate Change on Children.
Represented by Joyce Eli, the UNICEF Chief said, Nigeria ranked 2nd worst worldwide in terms of children’s exposure and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, noted that there are lots of opportunities for Nigeria to contribute to climate resilience.
“On a positive note, opportunities exist for sanitation to contribute to climate resilience in the WASH, agriculture, and energy sectors. Sanitation systems can be adapted to resist climate shocks and stressors, and safely managed sanitation systems have been shown to contribute to climate change mitigation.” She said.
She warned that, unless urgent action is taken, years of progress in the sanitation sector can be undermined by climate change.
“Nigeria’s child population of more than 110 million accounts for 10 per cent of the 1 billion children worldwide who live in extremely high-risk countries from the effects of climate change. Nigerian children are disproportionately affected by climate change. Rising temperatures, flooding, drought and intense storms are the most serious climate-related threats to children in Nigeria.
“For example, between 2016 and 2021, 650,000 children were displaced across the country due to floods, and more than 3.1 million children could be displaced by riverine floods over the next 30 years.
“Among the direct health effects are physical dangers that lead to injury, heat stress, diminished access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, and an increase in waterborne diseases such as cholera, diarrhea and malaria.
“Environmental degradation and climate change also contributes to malnutrition due to a shortfall in food availabilitv and contributes to increasing poverty and displacement.
“From a child rights perspective, the impacts on learning, water access and health are of utmost concern. The lack of climate-resilient sanitation services poses a substantial public health hazard for Nigerian children. Diseases can spread across communities when people lack access to safely managed sanitation services (78% of Nigerians) or practice open defecation (46 million Nigerians), and when toilets are damaged due to more frequent and severe floods.
“Children and their families are also at risk of reverting to open defecation in drought-prone areas of Nigeria when water shortages make the cleaning and maintenance of toilets difficult or render water-based toilets nor -functional,” Birukila added.
She emphasized that sanitation systems can be adapted to resist climate shocks and stressors, as safely managed sanitation systems have been shown to contribute to climate change mitigation.
“UNICEF Is deeply committed to addressing climate change. UNICEF Nigeria developed a Climate Action Plan (2023- 2027) focused on mitigating climate risks and adapting solutions to climate shocks through a multi-disciplinary, collective effort that engages children and youth, and empowers local communities and authorities at all levels.
“Some of the ways that UNICEF Nigeria is working to address climate change is through the installation of climate-resilient infrastructure for water, sanitation and hygiene services in schools and communities, and the solarization of healthcare facilities in local governments with the most vulnerable children,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Kaduna State Commissioners for Human Services and Social Development, Hajia Rabi Salisu noted that the state government is working modalities to address the impact of Climate Change on children in the state.
