To fortify the Filipino youth’s climate change awareness, UNICEF Philippines and the National Youth Commission (NYC) launched the D-Quest E-learning app ahead of the 21st United Nations climate change conference on Nov. 30.
D’Quest is an electronic learning and gaming application on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation designed to make learning more fun and interactive for young people. It aims to motivate children and youth to learn about disaster and climate risks and increase their involvement in ensuring their own safety, and those of their families and communities. UNICEF Philippines developed the app with the help of experts in the field, as well as children, and the youth.
Every year, 170,000 Filipino families are typically displaced by disasters, which are worsened by a combination of extreme weather conditions, the Philippines’ geological make-up, increasing population in hazard-prone areas, high poverty rate, poor implementation of safety measures, and degradation of forests and coastal resources. Climate change alters the nature and frequency of hazardS, puts children at much greater risk, and affects 27.6 million Filipinos, who are among the poorest and marginalized.
“The Philippines being one of the most disaster prone countries in the world faces bigger threats as a result of climate change. We must act now to prioritize their needs, improve their readiness and encourage them to play a central role in helping address climate change,” says UNICEF Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander.
‘Children bearing brunt of climate change’
More than half a billion children livein areas with extremely high flood occurrence and 160 million in high drought severity zones, leaving them highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, UNICEF said in areport released ahead of the 21st United Nations climate change conference, known as COP21.
Of the 530 million children in the flood-prone zones, some 300 million live in countries where more than half the population lives in poverty – on less than $3.10 a day. Of those living in high drought severity areas, 50 million are in countries where more than half the population lives in poverty.
“The sheer numbers underline the urgency of acting now,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Today’s children are the least responsible for climate change, but they, and their children, are the ones who will live with its consequences and, as is so often the case, disadvantaged communities face the gravest threat.”
Climate change means more droughts, floods, heat waves and other severe weather conditions. These events can cause death and devastation, and can also contribute to the increased spread of major killers of children, such as malnutrition, malaria and diarrhoea. This can create a vicious circle: A child deprived of adequate water and sanitation before a crisis will be more affected by a flood, drought, or severe storm, less likely to recover quickly, and at even greater risk when faced with a subsequent crisis.
The vast majority of the children living in areas at extremely high risk of floods are in Asia, and the majority of those in areas at risk of drought are in Africa.
World leaders gathering in Paris for COP21 – to be held from November 30 to December 11 – will seek to reach agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which most experts say is critical to limiting potentially catastrophic rises in temperature.
“We know what has to be done to prevent the devastation climate change can inflict. Failing to act would be unconscionable,” said Lake. “We owe it to our children – and to the planet – to make the right decisions at COP21.”
Karina is not your ordinary supermom. She juggles her time bonding with her three amazing kids while being in the loop on the latest happenings in the tech and lifestyle scene. Follow me on Instagram (@digitalfilipina) regularly visit www.digitalfilipina.com for daily dose of updates not just for moms but for everyone!
