March 27, 2025 – Ruoyu Li, a Knowledge Fellow in the 2024 cohort, completed her project titled Policy Planning for the Youngest Children in a Warming World: An Analysis of Ten Highly Populated Countries’ Climate Action Plans. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the ten most populous countries by 2100—India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), United States, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Bangladesh—are expected to collectively represent over half of the global population. These countries, many of which already face “extremely high” climate risks, will confront significant challenges in safeguarding the rights and development needs of their youngest residents, particularly children under age eight, amid escalating climate disruptions.
This project aimed to examine whether and how the world’s fastest-growing countries are planning for the needs of their youngest residents when adapting to climate change at the policy level. Specifically, it explored the extent to which national climate policies address the unique vulnerabilities and needs of young children, particularly in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
This report shares the findings and offers evidence-based recommendations for policymakers to enhance the integration of children and ECD in particular into climate policy frameworks. It is designed for policymakers and advocates in ECD and climate fields to better understand the gaps and way forward for inclusive policy and implementation processes going forward. It also discusses the implications for future research and policy development in this critical area.