Climate change: younger generations are the biggest losers!

Climate change: younger generations are the biggest losers!

global warming increasingly leads to extreme weather events that will affect younger generations in the future. A team of researchers led by Luke Grant from Vrije University in Brussels has published current data that show that the children born in 2020 will be confronted with a variety of unprecedented heat waves in the course of their lives. The study, which appeared in the "Nature" journal, predicts that 52 % of this generation, i.e. around 62 million people, will suffer from extreme heat waves even with a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. For comparison: for those born in 1960, this proportion is only 16 %.

The examination uses climate models and demographic data to evaluate the effects of extreme events on different age groups. With global warming of 3.5 degrees Celsius, the proportion of those affected in 2020 could even increase to 92 %, which corresponds to around 111 million people. It is also predicted that 29 % of these children could experience unprecedented crop failures, while 14 % are at risk of river floods that gain urgency in the current climate discussion.

global warming and its consequences

The forecasts for global warming vary depending on the climate scenarios. If all climate goals are complied with, a heating of up to 2.7 degrees Celsius is expected for the year 2100. These developments are not to be viewed in isolation, but are related to a general increase in global surface temperature. According to reports of the WWF , the sea level and the concentration of greenhouse gases have continued to increase. Extreme weather events, such as heavy heat waves, are not only more common due to climate change, but also more intensive.

Examples such as the flood disaster in Germany in 2021, in which over 180 people were killed, illustrate the dramatic effects of climate change. The study by the "World Weather Attribution" initiative has shown that this type of extreme weather experiences was very likely intensified by human influences. It can be expected that such situations will occur more often in the future.

need for action and adaptation strategies

The available data make it clear that not only preventive measures against climate change are required, but also strategies for adapting to unavoidable climatic changes. The increase in extreme weather events means that companies must be better prepared for it. The report of the Federal Environment Agency emphasizes that adaptation to climate changes is necessary in order to reduce the consequences of floods effectively. Ecological solutions, such as the recovery of natural flooding areas and the renaturation of waters, can help promote the resilient infrastructure.

summarized, the findings show that the climate crisis requires immediate and comprehensive measures. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions must be accelerated to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is the only way to protect future generations from the serious consequences of climate change that can take on the children born today.