Climate crisis forces over 240 million children to drop out of school worldwide
At least 242 million students in 85 countries could be out of school due to extreme climate events in 2024, UNICEF announced today.
Heat waves were the predominant climate hazard that closed schools last year in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia, with over 118 million students affected in April alone, according to UNICEF.
Afghanistan was among the countries that faced multiple climate hazards, with heat waves as well as severe flooding that damaged over 110 schools in May.
South Asia was the most affected region, with 128 million students facing climate-related school disruptions last year, while in East Asia and the Pacific, 50 million students' education was affected, the AA reports.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that severe weather in 2024 kept one in seven students out of class, threatening their health and safety and impacting their long-term education.
"Children's bodies are uniquely vulnerable. They heat up faster, sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. Children cannot concentrate in classes that do not offer a break from the intense heat, and they cannot get to school if the road is flooded," she said.
