Also during the World Environment Day 2025 the spotlight on the growing fragility of childhood were turned on in the face of the climatic crisis
L’UNICEF ITALYon the occasion of the World Environment Day on June 5, he released worrying data on the environmental impact on girls, boys and teenagers, accompanying the alarm with a concrete initiative aimed at them: the photo contest “A shot for the climate: environment and future seen by me”.
Climate change subtracts future
In 2023, in forty -three EU and OECD countries, at least 250 thousand minors were forced to abandon their homes due to natural catastrophes linked to extreme climatic events. Record temperatures, floods, fires and heat waves not only threaten health, but radically alter the living conditions of the most vulnerable.
According to UNICEF, almost half of the European schools are found today in “Heat islands” urban. In addition, one in ten is located in areas at risk of flood. The Italian figure is emblematic: the floods of September 2024 have interrupted teaching for over 916 thousand students.
Overall, it is estimated that over 25 million young people in seventeen countries have seen their school path interrupted in 2024 due to the climatic emergency.
“A shot for the climate”: the visual voice of teenagers
To give space to the story of the young people themselves, Unicef launched a photo contest aimed at girls and boys between 14 and 19 years old. The goal is to collect images that illustrate the impact of climate change in their daily lives, and that also document solutions, hopes and experiences of awareness.
There are three thematic categories:
- Direct impact on young people: the climatic effects experienced on their skin (drought, fires, floods, etc.).
- Solutions and hopes: the responses of young people, between concrete actions, activism and resilience.
- Education and awareness: the strength of information and knowledge to change things.
Awards and awards
The prizes include a reflex camera, a snapshot and a photographic book for the first three classified. But the real recognition will be to be able to contribute to a collective narrative of this climatic.
The competition is open until November 30, 2025. All details, the regulation and the methods of participation are available on the official Unicef website: Unicef.it/concorso-fotographic
“We want young people to have a voice in climatic decisions. Photography can be a powerful tool to tell, report and propose solutions”said Nicola Grazianopresident of UNICEF Italy.
Fonte: UNICEF. (2025). Learning interrupted: Global snapshot of climate-related school disruptions in 2024.