联合国儿童基金会：气候变化的冲击儿童首当其冲 | 最新消息 | 讯息中心 | 联合国儿童基金香港委员会 UNICEF Hong Kong

联合国儿童基金会：气候变化的冲击儿童首当其冲

2015-11-24

On 12 November, a woman cradling a baby stands amid deis and other destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan, in Tacloban City the area worst affected by the disaster on the central island of Leyte. Water, sanitation and hygiene, food, medicine, shelter, deis clearance and communications are among the priority needs. Blocked roads have limited access and the delivery of relief supplies. On 12 November 2013 in the Philippines, Government-led emergency relief and recovery operations continue in the wake of the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda), which hit the central Philippines on 8 November. At least 2,500 people have been killed in the Category-5 storm; the death toll is expected to rise as more affected areas become accessible. Some 11.3 million people, including an estimated 4.7 million children, in nine regions across the country have been affected, and more than 673,000 people have been displaced. Most of them are sheltering in overcrowded evacuation centres. The storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the world, also destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, roads, communications and other basic infrastructure, and damaged power and water supply systems. As a result, access to the many areas remains limited, hampering humanitarian relief operations. In response to the emergency, UNICEF is rushing critical supplies to affected areas, including therapeutic food for children, health kits, and water and hygiene kits for up to 3,000 families. UNICEF is also airlifting US $1.3 million in additional relief supplies from its supply warehouse in Copenhagen for another 10,000 families, including those affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol Province in mid-October. The shipments contain water purification tablets, soap, medical kits, tarpaulin sheets and micronutrient supplements. UNICEF is also supporting water and sanitation, education and child protection interventions for vulnerable children and

一名妇女和她的婴儿站在菲律宾超强颱风海燕造成的废墟中。

超过5亿儿童生活在经常氾滥成灾的地区，1.6亿儿童生活在严重干旱地区

纽约／日内瓦／香港，2015年11月24日—联合国儿童基金会在联合国召开第21届气候变化大会（即COP21）前发佈的一份报告中说，全球有超过5亿儿童生活在洪水经常氾滥成灾的地区，並有1.6亿儿童生活在严重干旱地区。这些儿童极可能因气候变化而受到冲击。

生活在经常氾滥成灾的地区的5.3亿儿童中，有大约3亿儿童于过半人口属贫困国家生活–亦即是说，他们每天的生活费不足3.1美元（约24港元）。至于生活在严重干旱地区的儿童中，有500万于过半人口属贫困国家生活。

联合国儿童基金会执行主任安东尼.雷克指出：「这些数据说明时间紧逼，必须采取行动。目前这一代儿童对气候变化应付最少的责任，但是他们和他们的后代将与气候变化造成的后果一起生活，而往往最弱势的社区面对的威胁最大。」

气候变化意味着更多干旱、洪水和热浪等恶劣天气。这些天气现象将造成死亡、带来破坏，並加剧儿童致命疾病的扩散，如营养不良、疟疾和腹泻。这将造成一个恶性循环：在危机发生前本来已经无法获得充足饮用水和卫生设施的儿童，将更有可能、更难以从洪水、干旱或者超强风暴等恶劣天气中尽快恢復过来；甚至在之后的危机中，面对更大的风险。

生活在经常氾滥成灾地区的儿童大部分均在亚洲，而生活在干旱易发区的儿童则大多数在非洲。

11月30日至12月11日在巴黎参加COP21会议的世界领导人，会于削减温室气体排放问题上寻求共识。很多专家指出，削减温室气体排放，对于防止全球温度灾难性上升非常重要。

雷克说：「我们知道应该怎么做才能预防气候变化造成的破坏性的影响。袖手旁观並不合情理。为了我们的下一代，为了我们的地球，我们必须在COP21大会上作出正确的决定。」

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