A new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reveals that extreme weather events—such as heatwaves, cyclones, flooding, and other climate-related disasters—interrupted schooling for at least 242 million children across 85 countries in 2024. This accounts for one in seven children worldwide being kept out of class due to climate hazards, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on education.
The report underscores how climate disasters not only disrupted learning but also caused severe damage to infrastructure. Hundreds of schools were destroyed by extreme weather, with low-income nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa being particularly affected. However, even wealthier regions weren’t immune. Torrential rains and devastating floods in Italy disrupted schooling for over 900,000 children, and catastrophic flooding in Spain halted classes for thousands of students.
UNICEF noted that while flooding and cyclones impacted various regions, heatwaves were the leading cause of school closures in 2024. The report coincides with data showing that 2024 was the hottest year on record, intensifying the global climate crisis’s effects on vulnerable communities and education systems.
As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the challenge of ensuring uninterrupted education for children continues to grow, with significant implications for future generations.
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