Nepal’s children are facing increasingly severe risks to their health, development, and future as the impacts of climate change intensify across the country. Despite contributing only 0.1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, Nepal ranks as the fourth most vulnerable nation to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, shrinking snow caps, and extreme weather events are no longer distant warnings—they are now disrupting the lives of millions of children nationwide.
Data from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) show that Nepal’s annual maximum temperature is increasing by 0.056°C per year. This seemingly small rise has serious implications, especially for mountain ecosystems, where even a 1.5°C increase can drastically alter the environment. The visible effects include reduced snowfall, shifting precipitation patterns, and more frequent and intense disasters such as floods, landslides, and droughts.
These climate changes are having direct and devastating consequences for children. According to UNICEF, over 236,000 children in Nepal were displaced by weather-related disasters between 2016 and 2022, with 95 percent of those displacements caused by flooding. In 2024 alone, more than 23,000 students saw their education disrupted by climate-related events. Meanwhile, over 10m children are at risk from vector-borne diseases that are becoming more prevalent as temperatures rise and rainfall becomes erratic. Water scarcity affects another 8m children, further compounding their vulnerability.
The impacts are not limited to physical health. Psychological trauma, educational disruption, and the erosion of essential services are affecting children’s cognitive and emotional development. Climate-related stressors are increasingly linked to mental health issues such as anxiety, especially among youth. A UNICEF-supported survey found that more than half of children and youth living in climate risk-prone areas in Nepal have already experienced at least one form of climate-induced hazard, and four out of five believe they are at future risk. Half of the victims of climate-induced deaths and injuries in six of Nepal’s most climate-vulnerable municipalities were children or youth.
Air pollution, exacerbated by changing weather patterns and urban growth, has become another deadly threat. In 2021, more than 4,000 children under the age of five died in Nepal due to pollution-related causes as per UNICEF Global Health Estimates, 2022. These deaths are especially tragic because they are largely preventable through cleaner energy sources and improved public awareness.
Young children are particularly vulnerable to environmental hazards because of their physiology and behavior. Between birth and age three, 80 percent of brain development occurs. During this time, children’s immune systems are not yet fully developed, making them more susceptible to diseases. They also consume more air, food, and water per unit of body weight than adults, which increases their exposure to environmental toxins. Their natural behaviors—such as crawling and putting objects in their mouths—also place them at higher risk of ingesting pollutants in soil, water, and air.
Beyond immediate health impacts, the longer-term consequences of climate change include undernutrition due to declining agricultural productivity, the spread of disease, loss of livelihood, and eventual migration. These factors together fuel cycles of poverty, inequality, and deprivation that extend far beyond the childhood years, creating intergenerational consequences for Nepal’s most vulnerable communities.
UNICEF warns that nearly 66 percent of young people in Nepal are unable to clearly explain what climate change is, even though about half report feeling extremely worried about their future because of it. This gap between awareness and understanding underscores the urgent need for climate education, child-centered policies, and stronger adaptation measures across all levels of government and society.
As the climate crisis accelerates, Nepal’s children are increasingly paying the price, say the experts. “Their exposure to both immediate and long-term risks requires urgent action—ranging from better health protections and safer learning environments to stronger disaster preparedness and climate literacy.”
