The climate crisis is having a disproportionate impact on children, not least when it comes to their access to education. On 10 June 2026, a range of stakeholders gathered in Bonn, Germany for “Closing the Climate Finance Gap for Every Child”, a high-level reception to raise awareness of the climate crisis’ growing toll on education – but also how education is one of the most important tools to spur climate action. The event took place on the sidelines of the June Climate Meetings (SB64), and was co-sponsored by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Geneva Global Hub for Education in Emergencies (EiE Hub), the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Save the Children.
Bernd Lakemeier, Director Economic and Social Development, Digitalisation at the German Development Agency (GIZ), stressed the timeliness of the reception, as more than one billion children are currently living in countries with high risk of climate hazards, disrupting the schooling of hundreds of millions every year. “Although children make up a significant share of the population, only around 2% of climate finance supports projects that address their needs and protect their rights. That is why it is critical to talk about climate finance for children right now.”
Francisco Javier Vera Manzanares, a 16-year-old Colombian human rights defender and climate activist, highlighted that children are not mere victims of the climate crisis, but also catalysts for positive impact. “We are the generation of the eco hope. I think children are agents of change. Children are citizens and we need precisely to change the narrative to claim the civic and political rights of children. Education is, at the end of the day, a tool to empower, to create, to thrive, to enable children with the abilities to defend their rights and their future. So let’s finance education. Let’s protect the rights of children and our common future.”
Dr. Tania Vorwerk, Deputy Director General for Sustainable Development and Climate at BMZ, said that while children and young people in fragile and conflict settings are the least responsible for the climate crisis, they often suffer most of its consequences. “We know that nearly half of the world’s children live in countries at high risk of climate and environment shocks. And yet, only a very small share of climate finance actually reaches child-responsive action. As a major contributor to international climate finance, we believe climate action must be more child-responsive, more conflict-sensitive, and more closely linked to resilient health and education systems.”
Saadatu Gambo Madaki, National Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Focal Point for Nigeria, stressed how the climate crisis had become a barrier to learning in her home country, while multiplying existing inequalities. “Education is among the hardest‑hit sectors. Flooded classrooms, heat‑damaged facilities, and climate‑driven displacement interrupt learning across the country. When families lose crops or income to climate shocks, children, especially girls, are often the first to be pulled out of school.” Yet she also highlighted that Nigeria is taking important steps to respond, the Climate Change Act and the establishment of the National Council on Climate Change providing a strong institutional foundation for integrating child-sensitive measures into national climate strategies.
Gernot Laganda, Global Practice Director for Climate and Environment at UNICEF, highlighted the devastating economic consequences of the climate crisis, including on education systems. “For millions of children, climate change is experienced through missed school days, damaged classrooms, displacement, teacher shortages, and interrupted learning. These disruptions are not temporary setbacks. They carry long-term consequences for children’s learning, development, and future opportunities, and represent a growing and often overlooked form of climate-related loss and damage.”
According to a newly launched UNICEF policy report, climate-related events have already disrupted the learning of 130 million children between 2005 and 2024, causing USD 120-140 billion in lost future earnings, a figure projected to reach USD 380 billion by 2050. If no action is taken, 440-520 million more students could face learning disruptions between 2025 and 2050, resulting in an additional USD 260-380 billion in lost future earnings.
To learn more about the links between the climate crisis and education, see the EiE Hub’s key messages on education and climate. These can support advocacy efforts, including in the lead-up to COP 31, which will take place in Türkiye in November 2026.