Climate change and poverty are interconnected. The environment is the world’s largest employer in developing countries. Most of the world’s families build their livelihoods on some aspect of the natural environment. 

Climate change is causing anomalies in weather patterns. Droughts that used to happen once every 10-20 years are now happening every two or three years. Severe storms, extreme heat events or prolonged dry spells can wipe out entire crops. This leaves families unable to provide enough nutritious food for their children and without an income.

Climate change is also causing an increase in natural disasters and very extreme weather. The poor are the most vulnerable – and least able to recover. Natural disasters like typhoons can take a terrible toll on lives, destroying property and forcing families to abandon their homes and fields.

Climate change can make clean water even harder to find. Sources of fresh, clean water are drying up. This can leave children and families with no choice but to drink dirty water, putting them at risk of water-borne disease. It can force them to walk even longer distances, to find water to drink, cook with, wash with or irrigate their plants. 

Lastly, climate change can increase the risk of disease. Increasing temperatures make tropical diseases welcome in new areas, places where the population is less immune or prepared. And, less water for sanitation and hand-washing can contribute to the spread of illness.

World Vision recognizes the link between climate change and sustainable development. We work with communities to restore environments that have been harmed, protect healthy environments and systematically build good environments to make them progressively stronger and healthier.

Some of our projects include environmentally restorative activities such as reforestation, agro-forestry and organic and conservation farming. We aim to help communities that rely on farming for food and income to learn improved and environmentally sustainable farming techniques.

Here are a few examples: 

• We have seen great success in reforesting in parts of Africa using the technique of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration, re-growing trees from root stumps of indigenous trees that were cut down in the past.
• Several communities in Ethiopia have benefited from a cleaner, safer way to cook their food as a part of a clean stoves project. As well as reducing the health impacts associated with smoky, open fire stoves, the clean stoves can help reduce the number of trees cut down for firewood.
• We also work with communities to improve their resilience, including disaster preparedness and risk reduction education, and improving food and water security.

The effects of climate change are expected to become greater over time without urgent action at a global, national and local level.  

People living in the poorest countries contributed little to these problems but are disproportionately affected by their negative consequences. Among them, children, women and people with disabilities are the most vulnerable and the least equipped to adapt to a changing climate.

Working to halt climate change can be expensive, and inconvenient. But, the impact of doing nothing would be devastating for all of us. It’s already devastating for millions of the world’s poorest children. 

World bodies, governments, corporations and individuals must do whatever we can to protect children and families around the world from ever-worsening outcomes of climate change.