Netherlands must protect children better against consequences of climate change

Climate change is already having a “significant influence” on the health and well-being of children, UNICEF Netherlands has stated in a report that was published on Thursday. Some of the risks mentioned included high temperatures in classrooms and rising flood risks.

The organization is pleading for schoolyards and playgrounds to be made more sustainable so that children have “safe, cool playing areas.” They also feel that the schools should teach pupils more about climate change “and their role in sustainable solutions,” the authors of the report added.

UNICEF feels more investment in sustainability should occur in vulnerable areas as the children there suffer from global warming more than in the more wealthy neighborhoods. This is partly because urban neighborhoods are often heavily “paved over” or because there is often less money for sunshades or extra insulation.

More investment is needed to realize better insulation of homes and school buildings, the UN’s children’s rights organization thinks. A well-insulated building warms up less quickly with high temperatures. UNICEF has said that reasonable temperatures indoors are “essential for learning performance.”

According to UNICEF, more measures to handle the heat are especially needed in the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius). These islands do not only have to deal with the high temperatures, but they are also more at risk of floods due to the rising sea level and hurricanes.

The report was based on literary research, conversations with experts, and interviews with children, who also had some of their quotes appear in the report. For example, 11-year-old Julia from The Hague spoke about it being “very warm” in the classroom in the summer. "We have two fans and the window open, but sometimes, it’s still too hot, and I get a headache."

In comparison to other countries the consequences of climate change are still relatively mild for children in the Netherlands, the authors of the report added. “But they are present, and they will increase in size. That is why we have to do everything we can to protect children now. Because children are extra vulnerable to the consequences of climate change and air pollution.”