Global monitors have warned that 2024 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record, marked by climate extremes and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

UNICEF data showed over 243 million children across the Pacific and East Asia were estimated to be affected by heatwaves, putting them at risk of heat-related illnesses and death.

Several countries in the region are currently smoldering in the summer heat, with temperatures nearing record levels as they regularly hit over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Local forecasters are predicting steeper rises in the coming weeks.

Some Philippine schools suspended in-person classes in April, with the state weather forecaster saying temperatures could reach a “danger” level of 42 or 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the country.

In Thailand, a temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the northern province of Mae Hong Son earlier this week, a few degrees shy of the record 44.6 degrees Celsius.

According to a UNICEF report, children are more at risk than adults as they are less able to regulate their body temperature.

The Director UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific, Debora Comini, stressed that Children were more vulnerable than adults to the effects of climate change, noting that excess heat is a potentially lethal threat to them.

UNICEF in the report also revealed that heatwaves and high humidity levels, which was experienced in the region, could have a deadly effect, noting that the heat would hinder the body’s natural cooling mechanisms.