Protect a Generation: Climate security for India’s children

Climate change is one of the key areas of concern for India. Human activities worldwide have caused approximately 1° C of global warming above pre-industrial levels. This rise in global temperature is likely to reach 1.5° C between 2030 and 2052 if carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase at the current rate of 0.6%. The increase in global mean surface temperature, which was 1.48° C in 1986–2005, could be as high as 4.8° C by the end of the twenty-first century (2081–2100). The rising global temperature impacts health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security and economic growth. These effects are projected to increase with global warming. Moreover, shifting weather patterns are expected to threaten food production and raise sea levels, thus increasing the risk of severe floods. The impact of climate change is global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Disadvantaged and vulnerable populations (including children), indigenous people and local communities dependent on agricultural or coastal livelihoods are at a disproportionately higher risk of adverse consequences due to climate change. According to the Global Climate Risk Index of 2020, India is the fifth-most vulnerable country to climate change impact.

The specific objectives of the study were:

1. to assess the risks and impact of climate change on children in geographic regions where they are exposed to frequent and intense climatic hazards and are vulnerable to such hazards due to intrinsic socio-economic conditions
2. to identify risk mitigation and adaptation measures in the short, medium, and long term to reduce the impact of climate change on children
3. to propose a roadmap for implementation of identified climate change adaptation strategies