adminHerald Reporter
Children are effective agents of social change in their communities and efforts should be made to involve them in climate change programmes, a senior Government official says.
Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate director Mr Irvine Kunene told participants during a children and climate change policy dialogue that all stakeholders must acknowledge young people’s role in risk reduction strategies.
“Children have a major stake in the future and have the right to participate in decisions that affect them, and they have the right to take adaptive actions on climate change,” he said.
“Therefore, children and youth should be actors in the climate change agenda, rather than being treated as passive observers or victims.”
Unicef estimates that 700 million children live in the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change.
It adds that 25 million more children will be malnourished as a result of climate change by 2050.
The University of Zimbabwe Institute of Environmental Studies in collaboration with Unicef and Government ministries have examined vulnerabilities and adaptation measures to cope with climate change.
Key findings from the study show that Zimbabwean children will be hit hardest hit by climate change in terms of food and nutrition, access to water, energy, education and health.
The study recommends adoption of climate change as a subject in schools.
Online Reporter