The world’s survival depends on children being able to flourish, but no country is doing enough to give them a sustainable future, dozens of highly respected international health experts said on Wednesday. In a UN-backed report assessing the capacity of 180 countries to ensure that their youngsters can survive and thrive, the authors highlight numerous “immediate” threats to their health, environment and opportunities.

These include runaway greenhouse gas emissions, predatory advertising and deepening inequality in and among countries.

“No country in the world is currently providing the conditions we need to support every child to grow up and have a healthy future,” said Anthony Costello, Professor of Global Health and Sustainability at University College London, one of the lead authors of the report, commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The Lancet medical journal.

“Especially, they’re under immediate threat from climate change and from commercial marketing, which has grown hugely in the last decade,” Professor Costello – former ;WHO Director of Mother, Child and Adolescent health – told journalists.

Growing inequality “in all countries” is also responsible for undermining children’s prospects, Professor Costello maintained.

This is the case even in wealthy industrialized nations like the United Kingdom, which had “very serious issues” with child poverty and inequality.

“The poorest countries have a long way to go to let their children be healthy, but the wealthy countries are threatening the future of all children through these excessive carbon emissions,” he said.

“We agree with Greta Thunberg when she says our world is on fire.”
250 million children under five at risk

An estimated 250 million children under five in low and middle-income countries are at risk of not reaching their development potential, said former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Co-Chair of the Commission, Helen Clark.

“But of even greater concern, every child worldwide now faces existential threats from climate change and commercial pressures,” she stressed.

Data for the report – A Future For The World’s Children – was gathered according to criteria that included survival and death rates, educational achievement and nutrition.

National emissions forecasts for 2030 and levels of inequality were also taken into account for the global index:

Norway tops ‘wellbeing’ criteria – but trails on emissions

Norway leads the table for survival, health, education and nutrition rates - followed by the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands; Central African Republic, Chad and Somalia come bottom.
However, when taking into account per capita CO2 emissions, these top countries trail behind, with Norway 156th, the Republic of Korea 166th and the Netherlands 160th.
Each of the three emits 210 per cent more CO2 per capita than their 2030 target, the data shows, while the U.S, Australia, and Saudi Arabia are among the 10 worst emitters.
The lowest emitters are Burundi, Chad and Somalia.
According to the report, the only countries on track to beat CO2 emission per capita targets by 2030, while also performing fairly – within the top 70 – on child flourishing measures are: Albania, Armenia, Grenada, Jordan, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay and Viet Nam.