Climate crisis disrupts education for 242 million children in 2024: UNICEF

Climate-related disasters interrupted schooling for one in seven school-aged children globally last year, affecting 242 million students across 85 countries, according to a new UNICEF report.

The United Nations Children’s Fund found that extreme weather events, including heatwaves, cyclones, and floods, significantly impacted education access, with low-income nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa bearing the brunt of school infrastructure damage.

Heatwaves emerged as the primary cause of school disruptions during the planet’s hottest recorded year.

In April alone, more than 118 million children faced educational interruptions as temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius across the Middle East and Asia, from Gaza to the Philippines.

European nations also experienced substantial educational disruption, with over 900,000 children in Italy missing school due to severe floods and thousands more affected by catastrophic flooding in Spain during the latter part of the year.

“Education is one of the services most frequently disrupted due to climate hazards. Yet it is often overlooked in policy discussions, despite its role in preparing children for climate adaptation”, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.

“Children’s futures must be at the forefront of all climate related plans and actions”, she said. 

There is a growing impact of climate change on global education systems, particularly in vulnerable regions where school infrastructure faces severe weather-related challenges.