PANAMA CITY, Panama (CMC) — A new report by two United Nations (UN) agencies warns that climate change could push at least 5.9 million more children and young people in Latin America and the Caribbean into poverty by 2030 unless governments act now.

The finding comes in a report by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), published on Thursday in Panama.

“Even worse, the number could triple if countries do not meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and to ensure that climate financing prioritises social and climate resilience services for children,” the report says.

The report examines the potential effects of extreme weather events on increasing poverty levels among children and youth, along with national efforts to reduce GHG emissions, as well as strategies to adapt and reduce losses and damage caused by climate change.

The UN said the 5.9 million figure represents the most optimistic scenario.

However, it warned that if governments are slow in implementing actions to address mitigation and adaptation, as well as loss and damage, the number could reach 17.9 million.

Roberto Benes, UNICEF regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that children and adolescents bear the greatest burden of climate change.

He said their developing bodies are more vulnerable to cyclones, heatwaves and other extreme phenomena, “which, at the same time, disrupt their families’ livelihoods and their education”.

“If children and young people don’t have the resources to meet their basic needs and develop their potential, and if adequate social protection systems are not in place, the region’s inequalities will only be perpetuated,” Benes said.

Yet, despite their vulnerability, the UN said climate finance does not prioritise the resilient services for health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation that children and young people need “to ensure their optimal cognitive and physical development”.

The report says that, in Latin America and the Caribbean, only 3.4 per cent of all multilateral climate finance is dedicated to children.

“This is happening at a time of funding cuts and reduced development aid amid unprecedented needs,” says the report, recommending that regional governments take action, including by strengthening the climate resilience of social services and critical infrastructure, to better protect children and youth, with a particular focus on the first 1,000 days of life.

The report urges authorities to increase child-sensitive climate policy financing, with actions that specifically target the needs of children at different ages.

“They also must promote greater climate awareness, education, empowerment and participation of children and youth,” the report says. “Additionally, environmental and climate education should be included in school curricula and educational programmes.”

The report further recommends that countries promote adaptive social protection and emergency response policies that account for the specific needs of children and adolescents.