COP30 highlighted children’s growing exposure to climate risks, yet weak commitments on emissions, adaptation finance, and systemic drivers left the promise of child-centred climate action largely unfulfilled
The 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) negotiations failed to address fossil fuel use and deforestation, leaving marginalised and climate-vulnerable children exposed. While children were recognised across COP30 decisions, the absence of binding measures on systemic climate drivers highlights the gap between symbolic inclusion and meaningful protection. Governments missed a critical opportunity to make children a primary consideration in climate decision-making.
Nearly one billion children — almost half of all children worldwide — live in countries classified as 'extremely high-risk' due to climate change, compounding the challenge of fulfilling states’ obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, over 420,000 children have been affected by the Amazon drought, threatening their survival and development. In Eastern and Southern Africa, more than 51 million children are facing overlapping crises — from climate shocks and health emergencies to displacement and economic instability. The stakes are high.
Nearly one billion children — almost half of all children worldwide — live in countries classified as 'extremely high-risk' due to climate change, compounding the challenge of fulfilling states’ obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2024, climate shocks disrupted schooling for 128 million children in South Asia, including 54.8 million in India alone, which ranks 26th out of 163 countries on the United Nations Children's Fund’s (UNICEF) Children’s Climate Risk Index, emphasising the urgent need to address climate-driven education inequities. Overall, over 242 million children experienced school disruptions caused by climate disasters — such as heatwaves, flooding, and storms, with lasting impacts on their rights to learn, grow, and thrive, as shown in Figure 1. Simultaneously, major cuts in international assistance to child-focused sectors, like nutrition, left millions without critical support. Climate change disproportionately affects young children and future generations, with immediate action necessary to help mitigate long-term impacts.
Figure 1: Month-wise breakdown of students impacted by climate-driven school interruptions, 2024
Source: UNICEF
Children are not just victims; they are active agents in shaping solutions to the climate crisis. State Parties must ensure the recognition of children’s voices, the allocation of resources, and the establishment of implementation frameworks needed to secure their future. Children should be actively heard and consulted in the development of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other national and subnational climate action plans.
To be considered child- and youth-sensitive, every NDC must fulfil at least three of four criteria: (1) it must include explicit references to children and young people, including those who are disadvantaged and marginalised; (2) it must be rights-based, recognising children and young people as rights-holders; (3) it must be inclusive, recognising children and young people as important stakeholders for climate action; and (4) it must be holistic and multisectoral, addressing the specific risks and vulnerabilities of children and young people through multisectoral commitments in child-critical sectors.
State Parties must ensure the recognition of children’s voices, the allocation of resources, and the establishment of implementation frameworks needed to secure their future. Children should be actively heard and consulted in the development of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other national and subnational climate action plans.
A UNICEF review of NDCs 2.0 found that 38 percent referenced child health, 43 percenteducation, 30 percent social protection, 39 percent water, and 15 percent sanitation. The UNFCCC’s 2025 NDC Synthesis Report shows that 52 percent of Parties now recognise the disproportionate impacts of climate change on children and youth, with 30 percent outlining specific measures to strengthen resilience. Notably, 88 percent indicate that children and youth have been or will be considered in NDC development — up from 61 percent. However, closer scrutiny is required to assess whetherthese commitments meaningfully meet child- and youth-sensitive criteria.
By the end of COP30, 119 countries submitted new NDCs, but taken together, these pledges fall well short of the emission reductions needed by 2035, projecting global warming of 2.3–2.8°C — well above the 1.5°C Paris target. COP30 agreed on 59 adaptation indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation; however, many of them were altered in the final days of negotiations and now require further refinement through the two-year Belém–Addis Vision process, raising concerns about their eventual adoption. COP30 called for tripling adaptation finance, yet lacks a concreteaction plan and delays disbursement from 2030 to 2035. This remains far below the US$310–365 billion annually that developing countries need, around 12–14 times current funding levels.
By the end of COP30, 119 countries submitted new NDCs, but taken together, these pledges fall well short of the emission reductions needed by 2035, projecting global warming of 2.3–2.8°C — well above the 1.5°C Paris target.
The climate and environmental crises already undermine children’s rights to health, education, and safety — particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Along with biodiversity collapse and pollution, these triple planetary crises drive displacement, malnutrition, child labour, early marriage, and worsening mental health. Yet between 2006 and 2023, only 2.4 percent of funding from key multilateral climate funds supported child-responsive initiatives. This is alarmingly inadequate.
UN General Comment No. 26 recognises environmental degradation, including the climate crisis, as “a form of structural violence against children and can cause social collapse in communities and families.” With 198 Parties to the UNFCCC and 196 to the UNCRC—most of which are signatories to both—it is imperative that states address these intertwined obligations. The Committee’s new cluster on children’s rights and the environment marks a major step toward integrating climate accountability into child rights reporting.
States should also share progress, challenges, and good practices on GC26 implementation at COP meetings. While non-binding, such engagement strengthens influence and inspires broader commitments towards a safer, more sustainable future for children.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion reaffirmed that States’ failure to act on climate change could constitute a violation of human rights obligations, highlighting the urgency of aligning climate and child rights frameworks. COP30 presented an opportunity to demonstrate this alignment, yet significant gaps remain. Security protocols at COPs often constrain child participation; although COP30 introduced measures such as mobile teams, wristbands, ‘Orange Tents’, and a 24-hour support line to promote inclusion, barriers remain.
Amid shrinking development assistance, children’s futures hang in the balance. In 2024, OECD data show that Official Development Assistance fell 7.1 percent to US$212.1 billion. The United States, a top donor, contributed US$63.3 billion, down 4.4 percent from 2023, and rolled back US$4 billion in child-focused programs, including health, nutrition, and education initiatives. These reductions threaten school meals, vaccinations, and safe spaces, increasing vulnerability to climate impacts.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion reaffirmed that States’ failure to act on climate change could constitute a violation of human rights obligations, highlighting the urgency of aligning climate and child rights frameworks.
UN Special Rapporteur, Prof. Morgera, in her report The Imperative of Defossilizing our Economies, emphasises that states and businesses must urgently phase out fossil fuels and subsidies within this decade to address the severe, intergenerational human rights impacts of climate change. The report calls for a just, human rights-based transition that safeguards climate, nature, water, and food for current and future generations. COP30, however, failed to include a fossil-fuel phase-out.
The Child Rights Committee, in its statement on COP30, underscored that children’s rights, well-being, and dignity require urgent, coordinated, child-rights-based climate action. Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, emphasised at the COP30 Leaders Summit that emissions reduction, a just transition, and adequate financing for adaptation and loss and damage are central to safeguarding children.
State Parties must ensure that children’s voices are heard, their needs are adequately funded, and their agency is incorporated into NDCs and implementation frameworks. They should commit to concrete fossil fuel phase-out targets, reduce deforestation, and implement rapid emissions cuts. Additionally, mechanisms for children’s meaningful engagement in national and local climate decision-making, including monitoring frameworks for GC26 compliance, must be institutionalised. States should also report progress, share best practices, and strengthen oversight to align climate and child rights obligations ahead of COP31. Upholding children’s rights is not onlya moral imperative—it is an investment in a just, livable future for all.
Manish Thakre is a consultant specialising in climate action, resilience, and inclusive urban development.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Manish Thakre is a consultant specialising in Climate Action, Resilience, and Inclusive Urban Development. Executive MSc in Cities, London School of Economics and Political Science ...
Read More +
PREV
