Children are 'first victims' of climate change, French rights watchdog warns
France's Defender of Rights urges the government to address climate change's impact on children. The organisation outlines several key recommendations in a report released Wednesday to mark United Nations World Children's Day.
"The fact is, while children are the least responsible for environmental damage, they are the most exposed to it and are the first victims", France's Defender of Rights chief Claire Hédon said in the report published on Wednesday.
"These risks are in their immediate environment – their home or place of life – in all the places that welcome them and in outdoor spaces."
The report titled Annual Report on the Rights of the Child 2024, which focuses on children's right to live in a healthy environment, outlines the actions the Defeder's office believes are necessary to ensure this.
To guarantee these rights, Hédon is calling on public authorities to introduce "a legally binding international treaty for the protection of the environment".
On a global scale, "more than 99 percent of children are exposed to a climatic and environmental risk factor" and "a quarter of the deaths of children under five are directly linked to pollution", Hédon said.
The report adds that current policies do not sufficiently take into account the particular vulnerability of children.
"The worsening consequences of the environmental crisis underline the growing burden that future generations will have to bear," it reads.
In all, the report puts forward 20 recommendations, including speeding up the renovation of school buildings and improving all venues that accommodate children.
Read more on RFI English
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