Children at Risk: Navigating Climate Change and Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa

The world is grappling with major challenges posed by climate change, with the past few years having witnessed catastrophic weather events like floods, storms, wildfires, and record-breaking temperatures worldwide. Children and adolescents are particularly at risk due to their developing brains, heightened vulnerability to illness, and limited capacity to cope with or adapt to these risks. This article examines how climate change affects children’s rights in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on two main questions: Why are children disproportionately affected by climate change, and how are their rights affected? A review of 30 articles from peer-reviewed journals and reports from international organisations think tanks, and NGOs indicated that children suffer uniquely and disproportionately from the harsh effects of climate change due to various socioeconomic, physiological, and developmental factors. This vulnerability is particularly severe for girls and for those facing multiple forms of discrimination and inequality. Evidence suggests that climate change threatens to reverse the progress in protecting and promoting children’s rights in sub-Saharan Africa. Protecting children’s rights is crucial for achieving effective and sustainable climate action that provides equitable solutions to environmental issues. Therefore, governments and child protection stakeholders must prioritise, incorporate, and integrate children’s rights into policies and programs to address climate change.