Don't Drown our Future
Climate change is an emergency for the world's poorest children. Without urgent action child deaths will increase.
Don’t Drown Our FutureSave the Children is holding a media event to raise public awareness about the importance of disaster risk reduction in reducing risks and saving lives. You can join in online.
Young voices in the climate debate
164 children from all over the world gathered in Copenhagen in the week before COP15 started. Here, they discussed the consequences of the climate changes and made their own climate declaration. Meet some of the children and read the document they handed over to the world’s leaders.
Hear their opinions and recommendations to the world’s leaders
The future of millions of children depends on the promises made at Copenhagen.
From 7 to 18 December, the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) will be held in Copenhagen. Save the Children will be there, making sure that world leaders remember that signing a deal is critical for the world's poorest and most marginalised children.
Over the past two decades, the number of natural disasters has doubled. Not only are there more floods, cyclones and droughts, but their intensity is predicted to increase as a result of climate change.
Each year these disasters affect the lives of millions of families. Over the next decade Save the Children estimates that up to 175 million children per year will suffer the consequences of natural disasters such as cyclones, droughts and floods.
Climate change is a real threat to children in the 21st century and is an immediate global emergency.
In his opening address to the Copenhagen Conference, Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, put a face to the devastating affects of climate change by sharing the story of a young boy called Nyi Lay who lost his parents during Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. Nyi Lay was reunited with his grandmother and sisters thanks to Save the Children.
Yvo de Boer put children's voices at the forefront of the conference and ended his remarks with a passionate plea to delegates,
“Deliver. Reach for success. Ensure that millions of children across the world don’t suffer the same fate as Nyi Lay.”
Watch the clip from Yvo de Boer's opening address
Threat to Health
Every year nearly 9 million children die before their fifth birthday. 98% of these children are born in the poorest countries in the world. Children are dying from conditions like diarrhoea, malnutrition and malaria, conditions that could be prevented and treated.
Climate change will make these conditions more common.
What we're calling for
We have joined up with key partners to ensure that we can strengthen our call for leaders to commit to a deal that prioritises children.
For the past few years we have been working with Children in a Changing Climate, a consortium of leading children’s agencies and research institutions, to ensure that children’s rights are respected and represented in climate change decisions at all levels and bring their voices to decision-makers.
Our aim is to ensure that children are involved in identifying risks, know what to do when a disaster strikes, and share this information with their friends and wider community.
We emphasise that funding for adaptation should reach poor communities without delay. Child centred disaster risk reduction which should be recognised as a corner stone of adaptation and an assurance to strengthen health, water and sanitation systems in the poorest countries so that they are ready to cope with the effects of climate change.
Find out more about Save the Children's Disaster Risk Reduction work and the impact of climate change on children’s health.
More Information
Eye Witness Accounts
Voices from Copenhagen: Soren Pedersen's Blog
Voices from Copenhagen: Nyi Lay's story in Yve de Boer's opening address
Voices from Copenhagen: George Graham's Blog
Photos
