Opening Statement
Climate and environmental hazards are having a devastating impact on the well-being and future of children. The past eight years have been the warmest since modern recordkeeping began, and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are the highest recorded. In many parts of the world, we are facing multiple climate-related impacts such as severe drought and flooding, air pollution and water scarcity, leaving our children vulnerable to malnutrition and disease. Almost every child in Africa is exposed to at least one of these climate and environmental hazards, and without urgent action, children are at an extremely high risk of the...