The programme aims to secure children's influence on tackling climate change from a local to global level.
NCB is a partner in the project alongside ActionAid, Institute of Development Studies, Plan International, RMIT University in Australia and Save the Children. As leading research and development organisations, these partners are committed to sharing knowledge, co-ordinating actions and working with children.
NCB is committed to involving children and young people in climate change and the wider sustainable development. Last year, it took 16-year-old Thomas Bielby to the UN Convention on Climate Change Conference in Bali, where young people from Asia and Europe challenged ministers on the issues and helped design a process for children and young people worldwide to get their voices heard.
NCB is leading on the action strand, CCC-action, with Save the Children, which aims to develop an international forum for children and development practitioners to share experiences, stories and ideas to help reduce the impacts of climate change and promote climate adaptation. This unique space for them to engage, learn and have influence could prove vital in reducing poverty, promoting health and wellbeing and enabling more children to get involved.
Jo Butcher, assistant director, wellbeing at NCB, says: "CCC-action will grow and support an international community of children who are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to be ambassadors for positive change and to promote sustainable communities and climate change adaptation."
Globally, childhoods are being affected by climate change (see box). Meanwhile, child-centred approaches to disaster risk reduction, demonstrate children are effective drivers of change in their communities. And so, it is crucial to involve children in addressing the issue of climate change.
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON CHILDREN
- Increased child poverty Climate change could cause up to 160,000 additional child deaths per year in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa through Gross Domestic Product losses alone.
- Increased hunger With temperature increases of 2 degsC, an additional 30 to 200 million people will be at risk of hunger globally.
- Fewer children able to attend school Parents may remove their children from school to collect water, fuel and supplement income.
- Increased childhood disease Malaria, which already kills 800,000 children every year, is now in areas previously outside the range of malarial mosquitoes.
Source: Unicef 2008.
