Half-billion children at risk of deadly heat stress

Nearly half a billion children are facing twice as many days of extreme heat each year or more than their grandparents did, the UN said on Tuesday, warning of deadly consequences.

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As climate change continues to push up temperatures globally, one in five children - some 466 million kids live in areas that are registering "at least double the number of extremely hot days every year" compared to 60 years ago, the UN children's agency Unicef said.

"The bodies of young children are not like little adults, they have much more vulnerability to extreme heat," Unicef advocacy chief Lily Caprani told AFP, also warning of dangers for pregnant women.

Additionally, children lose out from education when schools are forced to close due to high temperatures which has affected at least 80 million children in 2024 so far.