Impact of climate change on children in underserved communities

What happens when a child’s classroom becomes too hot to learn in? Or when the road to school disappears under floodwater?

For many children growing up in underserved communities, these are not isolated events. They are part of a changing climate that is reshaping everyday life. Climate change is not only about rising temperatures or stronger storms. It can determine whether there is enough food on the table, whether a school remains open, whether a family can afford healthcare or whether a child gets to stay in school.

In this blog, let’s explore what climate change means for children growing up in underserved communities, why marginalised families are hit harder than others, and what repeated climate disruptions mean for children’s ability to stay in school.

How climate change is affecting childhoods in marginalised regions

Climate change does not create every challenge children face. But it can make existing inequalities harder to escape. In 2026, CRY’s RaKe team studied climate vulnerable communities across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where families reported erratic rainfall, floods, cyclones, heatwaves, rising sea levels, damaged infrastructure, changing livelihoods, migration and disrupted healthcare.

These changes can affect children in less visible ways. When incomes become uncertain, access to food and healthcare can suffer. Schooling can be disrupted by damaged infrastructure or migration. And as household and societal pressures grow, children may face greater risks of dropping out, child labour and child marriage.

Why climate change deepens inequality

The ability to recover from climate related disruptions often depends on a family’s income, livelihood and access to essential services. Families dependent on farming, fishing and other climate sensitive work often face greater challenges when these livelihoods are disrupted. For children, this often affects their health, nutrition, education and stability. Let’s understand how:

• Extreme heat and rising temperatures: Extreme heat often makes travelling to school and learning in poorly ventilated classrooms difficult. Hot homes and limited access to safe drinking water also increase children’s risk of dehydration and heat related illness.
• Floods, cyclones and natural disasters: Floods and cyclones often damage homes, schools and livelihoods, forcing families to relocate. Children may lose learning materials, miss school and face interruptions in accessing healthcare and other essential services.
• Food insecurity and malnutrition: When crops fail or fish become harder to find, families often lose both income and access to food. This leaves children at greater risk of undernutrition and poor health.
• Water scarcity and poor sanitation: Water shortages often increase exposure to disease and disrupt school attendance. For girls, limited access to water and safe sanitation makes managing menstruation more difficult and often leads to missed school days.

• Climate driven displacement and migration: When livelihoods become unreliable, families may migrate for work or safety. For children, this often means leaving school, losing familiar support systems and experiencing gaps in healthcare and other essential services.

How climate change can make staying in school harder

Climate related disruptions can add to the barriers children already face in accessing and staying in school. The impact often extends beyond temporary school closures. Let’s understand how:

• School disruptions after climate disasters: Floods and cyclones can damage schools, make them inaccessible or force children into temporary learning spaces. Extreme heat can also make classrooms difficult to use. Children may lose learning materials, miss lessons and fall behind, making it harder to stay engaged with school.
• Greater risk of child labour and child marriage: When climate related shocks reduce household income, families may struggle to meet basic needs. The International Labour Organization’s 2023 report identifies poverty, changing agricultural productivity, extreme weather, climate driven migration and disrupted services as pathways that can increase children’s risk of labour. The same pressures can also increase the risk of child marriage, particularly among girls facing poverty, food insecurity and gender inequality.

• Mental health and climate anxiety: A child who has experienced a flood may feel anxious when heavy rain returns. For a child who has been displaced, the uncertainty of having to move again can linger. These experiences can affect children’s emotional wellbeing. UNICEF describes climate or eco anxiety as feelings such as anxiety, sadness, anger and grief linked to climate change. For children, this can stem both from experiencing climate related disasters and from the ongoing worry that they may happen again.

Conclusion

CRY works with children, families and communities to strengthen the systems that protect children’s health, education, nutrition and safety, helping them better cope with climate challenges. Support CRY UK to ensure happier and healthier childhoods.