The climate crisis affects everyone. Girls and boys in vulnerable communities are taking the strongest hit, even though they are not responsible for it. Nearly 1 billion children live in countries that are at high risk of climate change and environmental hazards.

World Vision believes every child deserves a healthy and safe environment now and a sustainable future. We want to ensure that all children can enjoy these rights.

We are partnering with children to act now. Our programmes focus on environmental stewardship and climate action. This will lead to positive outcomes for the wellbeing of children.

3.3M

People practicing climate smart agriculture

5M

Hectares reforested in 20-year period in niger

2.3M

People provided with natural resources management training

1.1M

People trained in disaster risk management

500,000

People given access to more energy-efficient technologies

2.4M

People have access to waste management system

The global crisis we can’t ignore

Sea levels are rising, glaciers are shrinking and agricultural land is degrading due to expanding deserts. This is forcing people and nations to make desperate choices.

Should I migrate to the city or make a dangerous attempt to get to ‘the West’? Do I send my children out to work instead of to school to survive? Do I move my cattle onto new pasture land or take water from a neighbour’s well?

New challenges, tensions, conflicts, and disasters, are all fueled by climate change. So new thinking, new programmatic responses and greater agility are needed to respond to our fast-changing world.

We are an organisation working in countries and communities that have been severely impacted by environmental degradation and climate change. We are greatly worried about what we observe and hear. As a global organisation present in 100 countries, we have unique access to grassroots communities the world over.

They have been telling us for years that things are worsening, that the seasons are unreliable. We are working hard to respond to climate change and disasters. We are partnering with others to build their resilience and prepare them for crises. When such events occur, we are ready to help.

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Investing in Sustainable Outcomes for Children

WORLD VISION’S ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND CLIMATE ACTION

World Vision has a long history of addressing climate change. Their programmes tackle both the causes and the consequences. They also provide positive outcomes for children in vulnerable communities and the natural environment. This report presents the different areas of work and highlights promising examples of environmental and climate action in our field programmes.

Climate change is a threat multiplier

The World Bank reports 130 million additional people will be pushed into poverty because of climate change by 2030. Climate-related shocks and risks exacerbate inequalities between children in terms of health, education and long-term development outcomes. Threatened livelihoods and competition for scarce resources triggered by changing climate put millions of children at increased risk of violence.

Women and girls are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to pre-existing gender inequalities and social norms. 45 million people worldwide are currently at extreme risk of famine.

Almost 21 million children are one step away from famine and face starvation.

The causes of this crisis are the climate crisis, conflicts and COVID-19 aftershocks.

3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation.

Over 160 million children live in areas of high-level drought.

Additionally, 920 million children are highly exposed to water scarcity’ (UNICEF 2021). Climate change must be addressed or the consequences will be dire. Droughts will become more intense, land degradation and desertification will increase, and the hunger crisis will worsen.

Climate change is having severe humanitarian consequences as well. More frequent and severe natural hazards are amplifying already high levels of humanitarian need globally. By 2050, the World Bank estimates that an additional 143 million people across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America could be internally displaced as a result of slow-onset impacts of climate change including water stress, crop failure and sea-level rise.

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Our Global Commitment

To demonstrate our commitment to addressing climate change, World Vision is a member of the following climate change coalitions:

The UNEP and FAO coordinated UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration
The Humanitarian Charter on Climate Change
The International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PARD) together with the UNEP Faith for Earth Coalition

Promising Practices for a Smiling Earth

We seek to challenge and change activities which harm the earth for the benefit of children now and in the future.

This report features ways that World Vision's projects, programmes, advocacy, communications, and office operations could positively impact the environment. It is a collection of promising practices from across the Partnership.

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At World Vision, we are taking concurrent actions to end global poverty and inequality, support at-risk communities to build resilience and reduce global climate and environmental impact.

Promoting Women's Economic Empowerment

World Vision advocates for a comprehensive approach to Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE). This includes economic progress for women, access to chances and resources, the ability to make decisions, and equity in systems. Additionally, World Vision works to eliminate harmful social norms.

Promoting child participation and protection

World Vision believes that creating spaces for children's activism has a transformative impact on their lives and has the power to change society for the better. We empower girls and boys to be strong voices to improve community welfare in diverse issues such as environmental concerns, changing change and child protection.

Climate risks and Disasters

Reducing climate risks and responding to disasters.

Climate smart Agriculture

World Vision is implementing Climate Smart Agriculture. This approach attempts to improve agricultural productivity and increase adaptation to climate change. Where possible, it also helps to reduce climate change.

Regreening Communities

World Vision is a global leader in integrating community development with ecosystem restoration for the most vulnerable communities. Our regreening communities project model address climate change and the exploitation of natural resources by guiding communities through a participatory environmental restoration process. A tailored set of solutions is selected by each community including scaling-up indigenous restoration practices, strengthening government partnerships for restoration, and introducing proven practices like Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR).

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is a community-led solution based on nature. It reverses environmental degradation and tackles poverty.

Faith Values and Reach - Contribution to Environmental Policy

STOCKHOLM+50 INTERFAITH STATEMENT

We have reached an important point in history.

We must be more mindful of the environmental consequences of our actions around the world. We can unknowingly or carelessly cause immense and permanent damage to the environment we rely on for our lives and well-being.