From heatwaves that forced schools to close to flash floods and storms that flattened infrastructure and pushed children and families to live in temporary shelters, children bore the brunt of climate disasters in 2025.
BANGKOK, 26 December 2025 - In 2025, children were deeply affected by climate disasters around the world – from heatwaves that forced schools to close to flash floods and storms that flattened infrastructure and pushed children and families to live in temporary shelters.
Save the Children data this year showed about 136,000 children a day have been affected by climate disasters over the past 30 years, highlighting the need for decisive action to protect children against the impacts of climate change.
Two million children would avoid living with unprecedented lifetime exposure to droughts if we can collectively reach the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2100 [2]
Here are five times in 2025 when climate disasters disrupted children’s lives.
- Asia floods: In late 2025 devastating floods left hundreds of people, including children, dead. The floods – some of the worst in a generation in some countries - forced schools to close, leaving tens of thousands of children out of education, including in flooded areas of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Across many of the affected countries, Save the Children and local partners created safe spaces for children where they could play, learn and recover. We also delivered essential aid to affected families.
- The strongest hurricane on record in 2025: Hurricane Melissa unleashed devastating winds and torrential rain across Haiti and the Dominican Republic. According to the Imperial College Storm Model (IRIS), climate change increased the extreme rainfall associated with Melissa by 16%.[1] Save the Children launched emergency responses in Haiti and the Dominican Republic to support children in the hardest-hit areas. Here are 10 Hurricane Safety Tips for families and children.
- Dangerous heat forces schools to shut in South Sudan: In February, dangerously high temperatures forced schools across South Sudan to close for the second year in a row, putting learning out of reach for many children and pushing them further into risks like early marriage, child labour and recruitment into armed groups. This also highlighted the severe impact of heatwaves on children studying in schools with no air conditioning and poor ventilation.
- Malnutrition in Madagascar:. In Madagascar, prolonged dry spells and floods caused by cyclones, contributed to agricultural losses this year and cases of malnutrition among children under five are now expected to increase by 54% in Madagascar in the coming months, according to an analysis by Save the Children. Food insecurity in Madagascar is the result of several factors, including recurring climate shocks. [3].
- Persistent storms in the Philippines: Children in the Philippines were hit by 23 tropical cyclones this year [4], with several studies showing a relationship between rising ocean temperatures and increasing typhoon intensity. Typhoon Kalmaegi, which battered the Philippines in November, killed about 200 people, including babies and children, and affected areas of the country that were already suffering from the impact of a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck south-central Philippines. “Just when they’re about ready to start recovery, another disaster arrives, closing schools and displacing communities,” Faisah Ali, Humanitarian Manager, Save the Children Philippines, said at the time.
References:
[1] https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/c205zwz4yj9o
[4] https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/
Ayşe Nur Gençalp / Save the Children Türkiye
AFAD ve Save the Children Türkiye iş birliğiyle geliştirilen eğitim programı kamuoyuna tanıtıldı.İstanbul, 2025Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığı (AFAD) ve Save the Children Türkiye iş birliğinde geliştirilen, erken yaş grubu (4–8 yaş) çocuklar için Türkiye’de ulusal düzeyde ilk olma niteliği taşıyan “İklim Farkındalığı, Afet ve Acil Durumlara Hazırlık Eğitim Programı”, 24 Aralık 2025 tarihinde resmi lansman etkinliğiyle kamuoyuna tanıtıldı. Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı (MEB) ile koordinasyon içinde yürütülen program, okul öncesi ve ilkokul çağındaki çocukların iklim değişikliği ve afetlere ilişkin farkındalıklarını artırmayı ve afetlere karşı daha dayanıklı bireyler olarak yetişmelerini amaçlıyor.
Save the Children is calling on the Government of Israel to urgently reconsider new registration rules for international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) that could undermine the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
As Save the Children Türkiye, with the financial support of the European Union and in cooperation with Pikolo Association, we are launching a comprehensive support programme for Syrian families in Adıyaman whose need for assistance has increased following the impacts of the earthquake and the closure of temporary container settlements. The project aims to provide integrated solutions across cash assistance, child protection, and education, reaching more than 2,000 individuals in total.