Over two million Cambodian children exposed to constant heatwaves, says Unicef

Cambodia is among 23 countries that fall into the highest category for child exposure to extreme high temperatures, Unicef said, citing its new report entitled "The Coldest Year of the Rest of Their Lives: Protecting Children from the Escalating Impacts of Heatwaves". - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Some 2.2 million children in Cambodia, or 37.1% of the kingdom's total child population, currently exposed to high heatwave frequency, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said in a press statement on Wednesday.

Cambodia is among 23 countries that fall into the highest category for child exposure to extreme high temperatures, Unicef said, citing its new report entitled "The Coldest Year of the Rest of Their Lives: Protecting Children from the Escalating Impacts of Heatwaves".

Heatwaves are especially damaging to children, as they are less able to regulate their body temperature compared to adults, the statement said, adding that the more heatwaves children are exposed to, the greater the chance of health problems including chronic respiratory conditions, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases.

Unicef-Cambodia's acting representative Anirban Chatterjee said climate change is already endangering the lives and well-being of Cambodian children, but this report shows that in the future Cambodia will be one of the most adversely affected countries in the world.

"We are therefore working closely with the royal government of Cambodia to address the challenges of climate change and protect the environment," he said.

Chatterjee said Unicef is also working with the ministry of education, youth and sports to ensure children learn about climate change and how they can take positive action to protect their communities from the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.