Climate change, one of the most pervasive environmental problems that has confronted human-kind, increases children’s vulnerability to hunger, malnutrition, water-borne diseases and other illnesses and threaten their basic rights.
With this in mind, and in wake of the UN COP21 in Paris, UNICEF has launched a call for action to be taken now to address climate change, especially given that it poses a major threat to humanity now and in the future.
UNICEF noted in a press release issued on Friday that while Guyana is a net sink country for greenhouse gases, it is still extremely vulnerable to the physical, social, economic, and ecological risks resulting from this global environmental problem, particularly given its low-lying nature. Consequently, global climate change is one of the most critical threats endangering the country’s environment and development objectives, the release said.
The direct impacts of climate change, such as flooding of coastal areas, overtopping of sea defences,