Born into the Climate Crisis - Why We Must Act Now to Secure Children's Rights

The climate crisis is fundamentally and irreparably reshaping our world, with grave implications for the rights of current and future generations of children. When ranked by income, the top 50% of states are responsible for 86% of cumulative global CO2 emissions, while the lower half are responsible for just 14%. Despite this, it is the children of low and middle-income countries that bear the brunt of losses and damage to health and human capital, land, cultural heritage, indigenous and local knowledge, and biodiversity as a result of climate change. Without drastic mitigation action to reduce emissions and limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, led by high-income and high-emitting countries and informed by children’s best interests and identified priorities, the children of these low- and middle-income countries will be burdened with the most dangerous impacts of the climate crisis. They have inherited a problem not of their own making.