A global temperature rise of 3.5 degrees Celsius—a possible worst-case scenario—could put 93.5 percent of Filipinos born in 2020, or about 1.4 million children, under unprecedented lifetime exposure to heatwaves, according to a new global report.

The findings are from Born into the Climate Crisis 2, an expanded study by Save the Children (SCP) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.

The report was released in time for the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which sets the long-term temperature goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Rexel Abrigo, SCP's Environmental Health Advisor, noted that “five-year-olds are already staying indoors because it’s too hot to play outside—sweating, dizzy, and restless, as even summer break offers no relief from the dangerous heat.”

“It’s just the beginning. They’ll grow up facing even hotter temperatures, with greater risks of dehydration, heatstroke, and other health problems,” Abrigo stressed.

“That’s why the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees Celsius goal is more than a target—it’s a lifeline for children,” he added.

The study found that children in low-income countries such as the Philippines are among the most affected, as most homes and schools are not built to withstand extreme heat and often lack cooling systems, electricity, or running water.

It furthered that children in these situations will face “unprecedented lifetime exposure” to climate extremes—events so rare they’d normally happen only once in 10,000 lifetimes.

Experts warned that avoiding this grim future requires ambitious and urgent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

If the global temperature increase is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, the number of Filipino children born in 2020 facing extreme heat exposure could drop to 55.2 percent—or just 843,834 individuals.

“Children did not cause the climate crisis, but they are suffering most from its impact. That’s why our programs are designed not just to protect them, but also to equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to survive, build resilience, and adapt,” Abrigo continued.

One such program is the Child-Centered Community-Based Adaptation, which has reached 20,078 children, youth, and community members who now have critical knowledge and skills to build resilience against climate change.

The child rights organization, through the Building Resilient Futures project, is also equipping adolescents aged 10 to 17 with essential green skills and supporting innovation labs in schools to enable mitigation and adaptation action at the community level.

The project is in partnership with the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Climate Change Commission.