A recent study published in the journal Nature stated that climate change is having a far greater impact on younger generations than in the past.The study shows that more than half of children born in 2020 will face unprecedented heat waves in their lifetime; if global warming trends intensify, this proportion will rise to 92%. By comparison, only 16% of those born in 1960 will experience a similar situation.
A research team from the Free University of Brussels in Belgium used climate models to set extreme weather thresholds in different regions. For example, in Brussels, six "extreme" heat waves (an average of once in a century without climate change) are considered "abnormal". Then, they combined population data to calculate the proportion of global generations reaching this threshold between 1960 and 2020, and analyzed the differences under different warming scenarios.
The analysis found that only 16% of the 81 million people born in 1960 will reach this threshold; among the 120 million children born in 2020, about 50% will still encounter extreme heat even if global warming is controlled within 1.5°C. If the temperature rises to 3.5°C, 92% of today's five-year-old children will face the threat of lifelong heat waves. Furthermore, climate impacts are unevenly distributed, with economically disadvantaged groups facing higher risks.
The study calls on the global community to face up to the intergenerational impact of climate change and take action to protect future generations and avoid exacerbating the existential crisis of future generations due to current inaction.