Wildfires raging across Canada can put children's health in danger, UNICEF warns

UNICEF Canada brings together experts to highlight the unique impacts of wildfires on children

TORONTO, JULY 30, 2024 – The increased incidence and intensity of wildfires in Canada and around the world puts children at risk. Experts shared perspectives on the specific challenges of wildfires on children today at UNICEF Canada’s roundtable on the Impact of Wildfires on Children.

"Particulate matter released from wildfires are approximately 10 times more harmful to respiratory health than ambient air pollution, particularly in children under five years of age,” said UNICEF Global Climate Adaptation and Health Expert Swathi Manchikanti. "Wildfire smoke is much more damaging to children’s lungs than we have known before."

Young children are especially vulnerable to wildfire smoke because they breathe twice as rapidly as adults, and their physical defenses and immunities are not fully developed. 

Manchikanti warned that wildfire smoke affects babies even before they are born. Research has shown that babies born to mothers exposed to high levels of wildfire smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience low birth weight, congenital disabilities, childhood diabetes and be delivered preterm.

The enduring impact of wildfires extends beyond immediate physical health concerns. It casts a long shadow on children due to injuries, disabilities, trauma, loss of learning and recreational opportunities, and displacement.

"Being so far away from home and away from regular routine, friends, schools, took an important toll on young people,” said UNICEF Canada’s Youth Advocate, Kira Young, sharing her experience escaping the Yellowknife wildfires in 2023. "We need to remember that while kids are the least liable for climate change, they are the ones that feel their impacts most strongly." 

Manchikanti and Young were also joined on the virtual roundtable by Luciana Phebo, Head of Health and Nutrition, UNICEF Brazil, and Brian Wiens, Managing Director, Canada Wildfire.

UNICEF Canada is calling on the Government in Canada to take action on climate change to protect the lives, health and well-being of children - including by committing to increased child-sensitive climate funding at COP29 this November and signing the UNICEF Intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action, and fulfilling international sustainability and climate change agreements, including rapidly reducing emissions.

"Children are not little adults; their bodies and needs are profoundly different," said UNICEF President and CEO Sevaun Palvetzian. "Any climate change action that governments take or plan for – including preparing for the increased prevalence of wildfires – must ensure that children's needs move from the sidelines to front and centre."

For more information, please visit unicef.ca/impact-of-wildfires-on-children-virtual-roundtable.

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Notes to the editors

The recording from the virtual roundtable on the impact of wildfires on children can be viewed on UNICEF Canada’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/nvNszJmHNV4