The climate crisis is a child rights crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index
The Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) provides the first comprehensive view of children’s exposure and vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. It ranks countries based on children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks, such as cyclones and heatwaves, as well as their vulnerability to those shocks, based on their access to essential services. This report presents a conceptual framework, a tool and an initial assessment at a global level of children’s exposure and vulnerability to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses – in order to help prioritize action for those most at risk.
Children are more vulnerable to climate and environmental shocks than adults for a number of reasons including physical and physiological vulnerability and an increased risk of death. And many children live in areas that experience multiple, overlapping climate and environmental hazards. Droughts, floods and severe weather, coupled with other environmental stresses, compound one another. These hazards can not only exacerbate each other, but also marginalize pockets of society and increase inequality. They also interact with other social, political and health risks, including COVID-19. Overlapping hazards ultimately make certain parts of the world even more precarious and risky places for children – drastically reducing their future potential.
Children’s Climate Risk Index Interactive Atlas
This interactive atlas allows users to visualize the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) and its key components on a map. Additionally, users can click on a specific country to see an interactive legend that shows the CCRI, exposure (Pillar 1) and child vulnerability (Pillar 2) scores on a color scale. This is the beta version of the index, and will continue to be adjusted, modified and new datasets added, including projection analysis, together with partners, including the Data for Children Collaborative and Save the Children International.
