Times Of Swaziland: INCLUDE KIDS IN CLIMATE CHANGE PROCESSES

INCLUDE KIDS IN CLIMATE CHANGE PROCESSES
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Editor on 19/03/2023 16:25:00


Madam,
Climate change is now widely recognised as the major environmental problem
facing the world, and children are disproportionately vulnerable to its impact.
In many countries, young people are at the forefront of climate action, and our
country is no exception. The specific nature of their vulnerability is
multidimensional, shaped largely by the physical, social and emotional changes
that take place over the course of childhood and school-going age. These changes
are intensified by children’s heightened sensitivity to negative or
high-impact events during the early stages of development and by their general
lack of agency and voice. Despite the vulnerability of children, few studies
have investigated how climate change will affect child development and
well-being.
Substantial
Substantial changes in the country’s climate are likely to be caused by
variables such as rising temperatures, changing patterns of precipitation and
differences in the frequency and intensity of extreme events. Each of these
changes will have a significantly direct, physical impact on children. The
effects of climate change are likely to impact heavily on low-income
communities, where the capacity to adapt is low, and on the most vulnerable
groups. The potential impact on food security, stability of food suppliers and
access to food is likely to be affected. It further impacts food availability,
and that is dependent on the income of the household and access to resources.
The poor nutritional status will have consequences of severe and prolonged
possible infections and are often more frequent. There is an increased
vulnerability in low-income communities with limited access to public health
infrastructure, resources, capacity and a lack of basic services. The outcomes
of poor health become worse the more remote an area is. Gender affects the
distribution of power, resources, wealth, work, decision-making, political
power, and the enjoyment of rights and entitlement. So, girls and women in many
societies are seen as having subordinate positions and neglected capacities and
like any other natural disaster, climate change threatens to increase existing
inequalities.
displaced
Girls and women in rural areas are likely to be displaced because of climate
change and this has direct implications for their safety, freedom, and security.
Extreme weather changes have the potential to affect school performance by
disrupting school attendance and hindering the length of time a learner is
either absent from school, or their regular attendance. Some children walk for
hours to reach their school, without proper or sufficient transport, and as a
result may not be able to attend school when there is bad weather, worsening the
deep divide of access to education in the country. Policies do not address the
specific needs of gender groups in reducing vulnerability to climate change and
variability to achieve the country’s national climate change policy objectives
of gender justice. Effective representation and meaningful participation of
children is a good starting point.
Then representation must move from passive referencing in development plans, to
active integration and mainstreaming within all relevant decision-making
processes. Children must be recognised formally as a unique social group and be
formally represented in climate change policy development processes. Children
need to be educated about more sustainable ways to adapt to our habitats and
prepare them to adopt sustainable practices that reduce the impacts of climate
change and the impact of climate change on their lives.
Nomfundo Mkhaba