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South Sudanese mother and her two daughters

Tackling climate change

How World Vision works to tackle climate change and protect children’s lives

Children are most vulnerable to the changing climate

Climate change is the greatest threat facing the world’s children and young people. One billion children are at ‘extremely high risk’ of the impacts of climate change. That is nearly half of all children.

The climate crisis is increasing the intensity and frequency of natural disasters like droughts and floods, and people and communities who are poorer are less likely to be able to prepare for such events. This means people are affected more severely, poverty deepens, and the cycle continues.

Increasingly frequent climate shocks impact crop production, destroying families’ livelihoods and reducing the availability of food and causing food insecurity. Children are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Instead of accessing a good education or living in a safe home, children are facing the global hunger crisis.

We’re protecting children facing climate change

World Vision is supporting the most vulnerable families and communities to become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Last year, our emergency responses helped over 1.7 million people in 18 countries – over 900,000 of them were children. Our response to climate-related emergencies includes the provision of clean water, nutritious food, shelter, and medical care. We address the long-term impacts of climate change by introducing climate-smart farming techniques and working with communities on their plans to reduce the risk of disaster.

Keep reading to discover:

How World Vision is tackling climate change

Stories about children impacted by climate change

What you can do to help children

FAQs

How we’re helping

The World Bank estimates that climate change threatens to push an additional 132 million people into extreme poverty by 2030.

With your help, we can:

Urgent action is needed to protect children from climate change.

Your support will help World Vision ensure children are protected today and empowered for tomorrow.

I'll help tackle climate change
Keep me updated

Below you can see all of our articles on this important topic, including how climate change affects children’s health, how climate change affects people’s lives and livelihoods, and the work we are doing with the natural disaster donations we are receiving. 

Stories of how climate change affects children's lives

Discover more about our work to tackle climate change

How you can help

Learn how we're standing up for children's rights

FAQs: Learn more about climate change

  • Climate change describes shifts in weather conditions – such as temperature or rainfall – over a long period of time. These changes can sometimes be natural, but since the 1800s, burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas has been a main driver of climate change.  

    The changing climate is proven through warming temperatures, rising sea levels, flooding and droughts. 

  • Climate change and global warming are often used synonymously. But the term ‘global warming’ only accounts for a small part of climate change.

    Global warming is defined as the long-term temperature rise on the Earth’s surface. It refers purely to the rising temperature, while climate change refers to the wider picture of the changes in our planet’s climate.

  • Climate change is a ‘threat multiplier', affecting families around the world who are already bearing the brunt of poverty. The effects of climate change are clear, including:

    • Warmer temperatures.
    • Worse and more frequent storms and other natural disasters.
    • Prolonged droughts, meaning families are unable to access enough food and water.
    • Rising sea levels due to the warmer temperatures and melting ice sheets.
    • Increased extinction, where animals are threatened both on land and at sea.
    • More displaced families, forced to flee their home to escape natural disasters such as extreme flooding.
    • Children and their families are pushed into extreme poverty. 

    Children are most at risk of the effects of climate change. Right now, 45 million people – around half of them children – are facing starvation around the world. In Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Niger and Afghanistan the most vulnerable are now just one-step away from famine. 

    READ MORE: How climate change impacts poverty

  • At World Vision, we are taking action to protect children, their families and communities from the effects of climate change. We work with communities to tackle the root causes of poverty and vulnerability. 

    With your support, we can empower the most vulnerable communities to become more resilient to climate shocks. Find out more about what you can do to mitigate climate change.