气候变化与儿童（英文）

2 Climate Change and Children ClimateChange_FINAL_gr1.indd 2 11/9/07 8:43:21 AM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess BlackPANTONE Process Cyan C ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to: United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Health Organization Front cover: © UNICEF/HQ02-0511/Ami Vitale © United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) December 2007 United Nations Children’s Fund 3 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017, USA Email: pubdoc@unicef.org Website: www.unicef.org Commentaries represent the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect positions of the United Nations Children’s Fund. ISBN 978-92-806-4222-3 UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS By 2015, all United Nations Member States have pledged to: 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development ClimateChange_FINAL_gr1.indd 3 11/9/07 9:42:34 AM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 1 Foreword from Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director 2 Voices of the Children 3 Climate Change and Children: What are the Risks? 4 Natural Disaster 6 Disease 8 Water 10 Food Security 13 Trees 14 Energy: Challenges and Opportunities 17 Action and Advocacy 18 Endnotes/References 20 Contents © U N IC E F/ H Q 06 -2 27 5/ B an n o n ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:1 11/6/07 2:43:31 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 22 Young people today are aware of the need to protect the environment. When they are asked to list the issues that most concern them, one issue that features highly on their agenda is climate change. They are right to be concerned. While we still have a lot to learn about the consequences of climate change, economic and social development cannot be sustainable unless we deal decisively with this issue. It has the potential to add to the insecurity faced by some of the most vulnerable people in some of the most vulnerable countries. New fi gures released earlier this year show solid progress on child survival, including a decline in the annual number of under-fi ve deaths. Global child deaths have reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990. Millions of young lives have been saved by the expansion of such basic services as primary health care, nutrition programmes, and adequate water supply and sanitation, showing that progress for children is possible. But the loss of 9.7 million young lives each year is unacceptable, and we need to continue and accelerate this progress. This task must not be threatened or undermined by short-sighted decisions that cause permanent damage to the environment. This publication gives children a voice on climate change. In 2006, child delegates to the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City challenged leaders and policymakers, saying, “We, the children of the world, are ready to work with you. Are you ready to work with us?” The answer must be a resounding “yes” because what is good for children – reducing pollution, safeguarding education and health, preserving environmental diversity, protecting water supplies, increasing access to proper sanitation – is also good for the planet. Foreword “We call on all members of society to join us in a global movement that will help build a world fi t for children through upholding our commitments to the following principles and objectives… “Protect the Earth for children. We must safeguard our natural environment, with its diversity of life, its beauty and its resources, all of which enhance the quality of life, for present and future generations. We will give every assistance to protect children and minimize the impact of natural disasters and environmental degradation on them.” — A World Fit for Children, 2002, para. 7, section 10, UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, 2002 Ann M. Veneman Executive Director, UNICEF ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:2 11/6/07 2:44:19 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black Voices of the Children This is a summary of comments and letters from children and young people from all over the world, collected from UNICEF Voices of Youth, child delegates to the 2007 UNEP African Regional Children’s Conference for the Environment and the 2007 World Scout Jamboree in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme. 3 © U N IC E F/ H Q 98 -0 19 1/ N o o ra n i Our countries and communities are at risk. Every day we see forests burning and people throwing chemicals into the water and cutting trees. In many countries, children and young people face very poor sanitation, health care and environmental conditions. When we build indiscriminately, dump our garbage into waterways, slash and burn our forests, and practise unsustainable agriculture, these actions lead to fl oods, soil erosion, landslides and desertifi cation. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO SAVE OUR ONLY PLANET EARTH! Pollution has been a problem for centuries. What are we waiting for? Even since climate change came to light, water sources have been polluted, forests have been wiped out, animal species have disappeared and people’s health has been jeopardized because of the pollution we create. We emphasize the value of education in the context of a sustainable environment and energy supply. Young people at every stage of their education should be informed about the dangers of environmental degradation, overuse of fossil energies and the prospects of renewable energy. Therefore we urge educators to include environment and energy-related topics in the curricula. The decisions made today will have a signifi cant impact on our lives. We will live the consequences. We will breathe the air and drink the water you leave us. Young people need to be given a greater voice on climate change issues. We need a platform from which we can express our demands. We want to work with governments and communities to help design and infl uence the policies that will affect our lives, now and into the future. We would like to move forward with a multi- generational, multidisciplinary vision: Working together, leaders and youth can redesign how society operates. Together we can lobby for a holistic education and climate-change curriculum so that today’s youth are not only climate-change literate but are equipped with the tools to act. We are willing to make a difference. ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:3 11/6/07 2:44:49 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 44 “The environment is precious, and we should protect it like a mother hen protects its chicks. We should prevent deforestation, fi nd solutions/actions that will prevent air pollution and promote awareness to the people, particularly young people, who are tomorrow’s future.” — Sarah Baikame, age 17, Cameroon “As teenagers, we are glad to devote ourselves to protecting our Mother Nature. By connecting the international and local communities, and joining this conference, we hope to generate a global vision and reduce the damage of natural disasters... and help to decrease injuries. We strongly believe that… sharing our local experiences will ensure future peace for the whole earth.” — Natural Disasters Youth Summit Declaration, 2006 Rising sea levels and melting ice caps … severe weather events … drought and fl ooding. With its dramatic and harmful effects on the environment, climate change threatens the basic elements of life for people throughout the world, harming health and the environment and limiting access to water, food and land. As such, it will potentially make every one of the Millennium Development Goals less achievable, slowing efforts to eradicate poverty, improve health and protect the environment. Evidence is growing that climate change is contributing to the burden of disease. According to the World Health Organization, in 2000, climate change was estimated to be responsible for approximately 2.4 per cent of worldwide diarrhoea and 6 per cent of malaria in some middle-income countries1 – diseases that disproportionately affect young children in developing countries.2 As the world warms, people could suffer hunger, water shortages and coastal fl ooding. As rains fail, crops will wither and livestock will die, exposing children to starvation and diminishing water supplies for drinking and hygiene. Today’s evidence suggests that developing countries – which are mostly located in warmer regions and whose major source of income is agriculture – will be worst hit by changes in rainfall patterns, greater weather extremes and increasing droughts and fl oods. Change in precipitation patterns is likely to affect the quality and quantity of water supplies, thus compounding the impact of poor water and sanitation, as well as malnutrition. Weather-related physical hazards such as hurricanes and fl ooding are likely to intensify, resulting in more deaths, injuries and trauma. Without action today, the costs and risks of a 5°C–6°C warming – which is a real possibility for the next century – will be equivalent to losing at least 5 per cent of global GDP each year, now and into the foreseeable future. If a wider range of risks and impacts is taken into account, the estimates of damage could rise to 20 per cent of GDP or more.4 By 2020, climate change is projected to expose an estimated 75 million people in Africa5 alone to increased water stress. Towards the end of the 21st century, a projected sea-level rise will affect low-lying, heavily populated coastal areas. Adaptation costs could amount to at least 5–10 per cent of GDP. New studies confi rm that Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate variability and change due to its multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity.6 Climate Change and Children: What are the Risks? © U N IC E F/ H Q 05 -1 94 8/ Le M o yn e ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:4 11/6/07 2:46:58 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 5 In general, developing countries – in particular the poorest – depend heavily on agriculture, the most climate-sensitive of all economic sectors, and suffer from inadequate health care and low-quality public services. As with any complex global phenomenon, the effects of this mounting crisis are far-reaching and interconnected. The droughts that decimate a village’s food and water supply create aching hunger, to be sure – but hunger alone is just one facet of this terrible story. A hungry family may not be able to send their children to school or afford health care. Hunger may drive families out of their homes, creating an environment that fosters crime. Climate change has evolved from an ‘environmental’ issue into one that requires collective expertise in sustainable development, energy security, and the health and well-being of children. © U N IC E F/ H Q 06 -0 20 3/ K am b er 5 ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:5 11/6/07 2:47:11 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 6 The frequency and severity of natural disasters have been increasing, and experts point to climate change as one of the culprits. While an average of 12 disasters took place per year in the fi rst half of the 20th century, that number reached an astounding 350 in 2004.7 The human suffering caused by natural disasters is most profoundly felt in developing countries, particularly poverty-stricken nations that lack the resources to cope with their aftermath. Countries with a low Human Development Index ranking suffer higher mortality rates from disasters.8 In addition, catastrophic disasters often result in enormous economic damage, sometimes exceeding the gross domestic product of low-income countries. While natural disasters are devastating for anyone who experiences them, children are the most vulnerable, due to their small size and relative inability to care for themselves. Children are more likely than adults to perish during natural disasters or succumb to malnutrition, injuries or disease in the aftermath. Natural disasters may force children out of their homes – or even their countries. They may become orphaned or separated from their families, and may be preyed upon by opportunistic adults. Emergency Preparedness and Risk Reduction Children must be the fi rst priority in risk-reduction efforts. Specifi c risks that exist for children and their caregivers, and the actions that might be taken to counter those risks, should be determined in addition to risk-reduction strategies for populations at large. Risk-reduction initiatives should be designed to educate families and children about simple and practical actions that can protect life and personal property in the event of natural disaster. Effective awareness programmes in schools, homes and communities can create a culture of prevention and empowerment. To ensure effective, timely and dependable responses, emergency preparedness measures, oriented specifi cally to children and women, must be in place. Children, families, communities and basic-service providers must be ready to meet health, nutrition, education and security needs when a disaster occurs. Since poverty often prevents people from taking preventive measures – and given that it is not the disaster alone but also vulnerability levels that determine the impact of any crisis – the underlying vulnerability of families must be reduced through poverty reduction and other measures. As disasters have the greatest impact on the vulnerable, their needs must be specifi cally addressed by response strategies, and vulnerable people should participate in preparing these strategies to ensure their relevance. Natural Disaster ClimateChange_FINAL_gr1.indd Sec1:6 11/9/07 9:42:48 AM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black Hurricanes, fl oods and the severe effects of natural disasters cause loss of life and economic instability in small island states each year. This disaster risk- reduction project, initiated by a young man from Trinidad and Tobago who was a delegate to the 2nd Children’s World Water Forum at the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico, is making a difference both locally and globally. “The International Education and Resource Network, Trinidad and Tobago Global Disaster Safety Map Project allows students to learn about disasters and the state of disaster management in their communities. It also empowers them to take measures for mitigation and preparedness. Many factors that exacerbate the impact of natural disasters are easily identifi able and avoidable, including indiscriminate dumping into waterways, improper or illegal land development, and unsustainable agricultural practices. “Therefore, national reforestation and watershed rehabilitation programmes are aimed at managing surface and groundwater resources and protecting watersheds to maintain an adequate level of water supply. The process is implemented by students, who create maps of their communities with specifi c measures for mitigation and preparedness. These community disaster safety maps are then joined to form a national safety map, which in turn is combined with other nations’ maps to create a global safety map. “Programmes in schools train teachers to empower students with environmentally friendly habits.” – Abraham Fergusson, age 16, Natural Disasters Youth Summit Ambassador, Trinidad and Tobago Natural Disasters Global Safety Map – A Local Initiative 7 © U N IC E F/ H Q 05 -0 16 9/ N o o ra n i ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:7 11/6/07 2:47:52 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black By altering weather patterns and disturbing ecosystems, climate change has signifi cant implications for human health. Many of the main global killers of children, including malaria, diarrhoea and malnutrition, are sensitive to climatic conditions such as fl ooding.10 The effects of global climate change are likely to be most pronounced in those areas bordering current disease transmission zones.11 Temperate countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have lately seen evidence of a resurgence of malaria. In addition, factors that play a role in climate change, such as emissions from vehicles and factories, signifi cantly harm children’s health. Deaths from asthma, which is the most common chronic disease among children, are expected to increase by nearly 20 per cent by 2016 unless urgent action is taken.12 Since many aspects of the physiology and metabolism of children differ markedly from those of adults, some of the health impacts of climate change are also likely to differ. “We, the researchers, health care professionals and environment specialists, university educators, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations have gathered at the 2nd International Conference on Children’s Environmental Health in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from the 14th to the 16th of November 2005 to consider the environmental infl uence on children’s health and propose actions. “We, the participants, hereby affi rm our will to defi ne and promote actions so that the children and adolescents of the world grow, play, learn and develop in healthy, clean and safe environments that protect their health and future, and assure the full development of their capacities.… “We recognize that: … An increasing number of paediatric diseases and developmental problems are linked to pollutants in water, air, soil and food, to traffi c, to noise and radiation, to injuries, to zoonosis9, to chemicals and also to climate change, uncontrolled urbanization and adverse social conditions.…” DiseaseHealthy Environments, Healthy Children: Commitment For Action 8 © U N IC E F/ H Q 00 -0 16 2/ P ir o zz i ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:8 11/6/07 2:48:10 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 9 © U N IC E F/ H Q 06 -0 17 7/ K am b er 9 ClimateChange_FINAL_g.indd Sec1:9 11/6/07 2:48:28 PM Process CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black 10 Water Parched, cracked earth cannot nourish a child. When an already impoverished nation experiences drought, its ramifi cations are severe and far-reaching: barren fi elds, dying cattle, skeletal children, empty classrooms. Throughout the globe, a decline in global freshwater resources profoundly threatens health and livelihoods. Increasing contamination, over-pumping of aquifers and degradation of freshwater catchment areas is exacerbating an already precarious situation.13 Fierce competition for a shrinking water supply has resulted in over-extraction for industry and agriculture, falling groundwater levels and failing domestic water sources. At the same time, pollution from industry, agriculture and improper management of human waste threatens previously safe water sources. In already dry regions such as North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, climate change is expected to exacerbate the decline in water quality and quantity.14 Careful management of water and sanitation services is key. New groundwater sources may have to be developed with the anticipated behaviour of aquifers in mind, and new methods and technologies should be developed to safely exploit and protect water resources. Water recy