A new global report released Sunday warned that a potential worst-case scenario of a 3.5 degrees Celsius global temperature rise could subject 93.5 percent of Filipinos born in 2020 — about 1.4 million children — to unprecedented lifetime exposure to heat waves.

The findings come from “Born into the Climate Crisis 2,” an expanded study by Save the Children (SCP) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. The report’s release coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Rexel Abrigo, SCP’s Environmental Health Advisor, noted the current impact, stating 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, heat stroke, and other health problems,” Abrigo said. “That’s why the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees Celsius goal is more than a target, it’s a lifeline for children.”

The study found that children in low-income countries like the Philippines are particularly vulnerable due to homes and schools often lacking the infrastructure to withstand extreme heat, including cooling systems, electricity or running water.

The report further indicated that children in these situations will face “unprecedented lifetime exposure” to climate extremes, events so rare they would typically occur only once in 10,000 lifetimes.

Experts cautioned 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 decrease to 55.2 percent, or about 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 said.

One such program is the “Child-Centered Community-Based Adaptation,” which has reached over 20,000 children, youth and community members, providing them with crucial knowledge and skills to build resilience against climate change.

Through the “Building Resilient Futures” project, the child rights organization 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 a partnership with the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Climate Change Commission.