'Our Children Are at Risk': Experts Highlight Climate Threats as Kenya Observes World Children's Day

'Our Children Are at Risk': Experts Highlight Climate Threats as Kenya Observes World Children's Day

From left: Dr. Nathaniel Uchtmann, Global Health Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco; KMD representative Charles Mwangi; and climate scientist and mental health expert Dr. Pamela Kaithuru during a press briefing at the Kenya Meteorological Department headquarters in Nairobi.

By Jeff Silas

Nairobi - November 20, 2025

While the globe celebrated World Children's Day on Thursday, experts in Kenya cautioned that worsening heat, hunger, disease and displacement are placing children on the frontline of the climate crisis, calling for swift action to protect them.

Speaking during a commemoration event held at the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) headquarters in Nairobi, climate scientist and mental health expert Dr. Pamela Kaithuru, who also serves as President of the International Society of Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Professionals (ISSUP – Kenya Chapter), said the global climate crisis is worsening faster than many expected and children are paying the heaviest price.

“Today is a very important day, the World Children’s Day. It’s a global celebration of our children, especially bringing in the aspect of climate, children and conservation,”she said. “We know that our global situation is not good the atmosphere is warming and climate-related disasters are increasing. While many are affected, children bear a unique and disproportionate burden.”

Dr. Kaithuru noted that extreme weather events, from prolonged droughts to deadly floods, continue to disrupt children's lives across Africa. In Kenya, she said, rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns have left thousands of children without food, displaced from their homes and out of school. “Some children even encounter death when floods occur,” she added.

The event, attended by partners from the African Coalition of Communities Responsive to Climate Change (ACCRCC) and ACOFI, brought together children of KMD staff for a day of learning and participation. Children recited poems, sang songs about climate action and took part in tree-planting activities meant to instill long-term environmental stewardship.

“It was important that children feel represented and meaningfully included,” Dr. Kaithuru said.“They understand what climate change is, how it affects them, and how they can contribute to reducing the burden of disease and suffering caused by climate extremes." She emphasized that children must be placed at the centre of climate policy, noting that public policies “need to be able to engage children" in order to shape resilient future generations.

During the event, partners also launched a new international Triple C that is Children, Climate and Conservation campaign, which aims to mobilize year-round child-centered climate action globally ahead of COP31.

The campaign, launched virtually and in Nairobi, will run through partnerships with schools, communities and families, integrating climate education and action into existing global observance days.

“This evening we are launching a global CCC campaign,”said Dr. Nathaniel Uchtmann. “We are connecting the three Cs, the children, climate and conservation to unite generations, professions and communities around protecting children's health and rights.”

Utman, a pediatrician, stressed that the climate crisis is fundamentally a child-health crisis. “Air, food and water are part of our environment, but they are also part of us. For every child's health, a clean and safe environment is one of the most powerful preventive tools we have.”

The Triple C campaign will host quarterly convenings on global observance days, including International Mother Language Day that is February 21, World Biodiversity Day which will be May 22, and International Youth Day, Aug 12. The partners will reconvene again on the next World Children’s Day, November 20, 2026.

KMD representative Charles Mwangi warned that Kenya's changing weather patterns are already showing dangerous signs. He referenced this season's suppressed short rains, a deviation from expected October to December rainfall as an indicator of worsening climate variability.

“Today is the 20th, and you can look around, it is hot, and the rains are minimal and irregular,” he said. “This will result in drought. And who are the first to be affected by food scarcity? Our children.”

Mwangi added that rising respiratory illnesses linked to pollution, livestock losses and displacement of pastoral communities are already visible as herders move closer to Nairobi, signal deeper climate stress. He called for urgent national attention to climate risks, noting that Kenya’s representatives are currently attending the COP30 summit in Brazil to advocate for stronger global action.

“Children are the future of Kenya and the planet,” Mwangi asserted. “If we don’t act now, we endanger their tomorrow. We must teach our children and ourselves to take care of the environment.”

The World Children’s Day event closed with a unified plea from experts, meteorologists and community partners, that governments, parents, teachers and communities must work together to secure a livable future for children.

Children gather at the Kenya Meteorological Department headquarters to mark World Children’s Day, showcasing their talents and engaging with officials and climate experts.

Dr. Kaithuru underscored this responsibility: “It is every child’s right to have a clean environment. When that is ingrained in them early, they will grow up knowing how to protect it not just for themselves, but for generations to come.”

The new Triple C movement, she said, is designed to build that future through awareness, participation and practical action with children leading the way in shaping a healthier planet.