Children will bear the brunt of climate change. Climate change will make existing inequities even worse. The trajectory of climate change can — and must — be stopped. Now is the time for action.

These are the key messages of UNICEF’s newly published study Unless We Act Now: The Impact of Climate Change on Children.

According to Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, we must act now “but action must begin with knowledge and understanding of the costs of inaction.” In making this report, UNICEF combined state-of-the-art demographic data on the world’s child population with scientific projections on the likely impacts of climate change in the decades ahead in order to offer a unique look at climate-related risks children face. The study offers likely scenarios for children if nothing changes as well as if many things do.

Aside from detailing major climate-related risks, children’s current and future exposure to these risks, the report also focuses on policies required to protect children from these risks and offers recommendations to prevent global warming and decrease children’s exposure and increase their resilience to climate change and environmental risks.

Download the full report here.