Children's Vulnerability to Climate Change and Disaster ... - Unicef UK

the UNICEF research, children in Kiribati
identified sea level rise as a concern. As a
solution, they suggested planting more trees
to protect the coastline and building rock walls
against water intrusion. Recognizing that local
activities to stop sea level rise are not
available, children are thinking about these
changes, suggesting ways their community
can adapt and offering to help. The children
also noted that development practices can
exacerbate climate impacts: that removing
sand (a common practice in some islands) to
sell for construction purposes results in greater
coastal erosion. 101 In Vanuatu, schools
participate in environmental programmes such
as Reef Check, in which students visit coral
reefs and learn about marine ecosystems and
how to protect them.
4.1.3 Communicators
Children have the right to speak for themselves
and are often effective when expressing their
opinions. In the Philippines, children’s groups
have used participatory video as an advocacy
tool to lobby local officials on the ways that
some development practices (tree cutting and
mining) have increased the risk of flooding. 102
In Rembang, Indonesia, children adapted
traditional Qasidah music (used often for
religious activities) to raise public awareness
on disaster risk reduction and environmental
issues. 103 In Thailand, a youth network was
instrumental in increasing flood preparedness
in their community; children also were trained
on how to use a rain gauge to monitor water
levels and how to detect other signs of
flooding. 104
4.1.4 Change agents
Children have the capacity and interest to
contribute to adaptation solutions and
decision-making. The UNICEF studies found
that children and youth want to engage. When
asked what would help children and young
people to cope with and adjust to climate
change, a majority of children in Indonesia
Figure 2: Map of hazards drawn by two boys (11 and 12 years old)
of their Chingeltei neighbourhood
Source: Nenova-Knight 2011; photo copyright Preslava Nenova-Knight
101
Burton et al., 2011
102
Back et al, 2009: 32
103
Plan International, 2010: 28
104
Chainmontree, 2010: 21
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