Climate Change and Children

Once again, a ray of hope has emerged in
our nation's horizon as regards the
environment. A Nigerian child emerged
number one in African region in a United
Nations organised global competition in
environment-themed painting aimed at
increasing young people's involvement in
environmental activities. 13-year-old
Chiratchaya Kaeokamkong from Thailand,
emerged the 2013 top prize winner, out of
almost 700,000 entries from 110 countries,
while 10-year old Nigerian, Ephraim
Finapri's painting was picked as the best
entry for African region, by a jury
composed of the representatives of the
organisers, out of 3,923 entries received
by the Regional Office from 20 countries.
All of the young artists painted under the
theme of "Water: Where Does it Come
From?" in support of the 2013 UN
International Year of Water Co-operation.
Finapri, a pupil from Grace Schools in
Lagos, painted an idyllic world where
variety of beings live in harmony with
water and are revitalised by it, with human
beings as the architect behind this ideal
picture.
There is no gainsaying the importance of
the involvement of children in
environmental issues. Two dynamics are
vital. They are the most affected by climate
change today, and they will be the ones
who must grow up to face the future of a
warmed world - and then strive to
preserve that world. Therefore, it is
pertinent that their capacity should be up-
to-date. A lot of children do not know
beyond what they see in their sitting
rooms, classrooms, and play grounds; and
they may not understand how they could
get involved in the battle to save the earth
from degradation. They need to know that
climate change is already affecting glacier
melting, sea level rise, the range and
distribution of plants and animals, tree
blooming times, the length of growing
seasons, and the freezing and thawing of
rivers and lakes. They need to know
everything pertaining to environmental
emergencies because in just a matter of a
decade or less the ball will be in their court
to contribute to alleviating prevailing
ecological stress. This can only mean that
they start today to conserve energy, waste
less water, recycle waste, plant more trees,
and tell people about climate change.
It is always said that the brain of children
is like a sponge which has the capacity to
soak up and retain knowledge in a large
quantity and for a long duration. And also,
it is obvious that the mind of little ones can
be easily motivated, much more than the
inured mind of the adult with its
pantechnicon of biases and prejudices.
This is exactly the reason why the UN
designed the idea in the first place. "We
chose the theme of the 22nd painting
competition to underline that water does
not come from taps or even plastic bottles
bought at the supermarket - it is generated
by nature and supplied by forests and
wetlands to rivers and lakes," said UN
Under-Secretary-General and UNEP
Executive Director, Achim Steiner. "These
budding young artists showed that they
not only understand the crucial role of
natural systems in providing this most
fundamental of resources, but the impacts
on humans and wildlife when we damage
and degrade our water-generating
environment in the name of progress."
I am not by any means surprised that the
child who got the award for Africa came
from Lagos. Lagos State has been
consistent in its mitigation and adaptation
strategies against climate change. It has
designed robust programme to
indoctrinate young Lagosians into the
culture of thinking and living green. Take
for instance, its Climate Change Clubs in
schools of Lagos. As one of the
programmes of these clubs, school children
are conveyed weekly to environmental
landmarks, project sites, industries, and
green habitats in Lagos State with a view
to increasing their capacity on green
issues. This no doubt has a way of instilling
in
these young minds the desire to be
environmental friendly and the passion to
pursue future careers in eco-related/
friendly disciplines. Moreover, they will not
only have these ideas ingrained in their
psyche, but, as is the habit of children, they
will chatter nonstop to their mates and
siblings at home and at play grounds about
the
overwhelming eco-ideas dished out to
them at school. The truth is that whatever
seed is sown is reaped; and like they say,
'garbage in, garbage out'.
If you ask me, I will confidently tell you
that the Nigerian child, Finapri, is a Lagos
green baby, who right from the cradle had
green ideas thrown at him via the
television, peers, older siblings, billboards,
signs and body language of Lagos State
Government officials. He assimilated eco-
ideas, and his young mind, having the
right ingredients, became set to make him
a green star, and to make his family, state
and country proud. To illustrate, let us take
a look at what the child had to say about
the award winning painting. Finapri said,
"Without water, no living thing can survive
on earth. I would like everyone to
contribute in stopping water pollution.
Most especially our oil producing
companies who spill oil into the rivers and
also factories who pollute the air."
Climate change may also affect the health
of children. Looking at several climate-
related phenomena - extreme weather, air
pollution, infectious diseases, and heat -
provides a starting point for exploring
how the changing climate may affect
children's health. Globally, 66.5 million
children were affected by weather-related
disasters every year between 1990 and
2000. Save the Children UK estimates that
in the l

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