Vulnerable Voices: Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Children’s Well-Being

Climate change presents a serious threat to health, education and overall well-being of children; affecting their basic rights in the society. Children from vulnerable regions face even more complex challenges like malnutrition, hurdles in education and serious health risks. Inequitable climate policies exacerbates the inequality between different regions and groups, intensifying the existing socio-economic issues. To protect the basic rights of the children, particularly of vulnerable groups, and to ensure their meaningful inclusion in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, urgent action is needed. The objective of this paper is to analyse the adverse physical and mental impacts of climate change on children, and its effects on the rights of the children, particularly focusing on vulnerable populations in India and emphasising the critical need for protective measures. Using a comprehensive review of literature, this study examines global climate change reports, scientific findings, official documents and socio-economic data. Analytical framework assess the relationship between climate change and children’s rights. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children (UNCRC) and global climate agreements provide the base for understanding policy effectiveness. The study concludes that children, particularly in India, have to face increased risks of climate change, necessitating targeted policies. Also, to formulate strategies and policies that protect children and their rights from climate-induced problems, it is important to understand and acknowledge their unique vulnerabilities.

Climate Change, Child Rights, UNRCC, Climate Governance

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