On Dec. 12, the representatives of 195 countries adopted a historic agreement designed to meet the challenge of global climate change at COP21, the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris. Propelled by the urgency of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, participants overcame numerous difficulties to achieve consensus on a post-2020 framework to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

The consequences of global warming are not limited to such effects as glacial retreat and loss of biodiversity, but include an increased likelihood of intense rainfall, heat waves and other extreme weather events, which may in turn impact agricultural production and provoke crises in the food supply.

The vulnerable in our societies will be the most severely affected, with the impact on children being particularly serious. UNICEF warns that the number of children directly affected by climate change-related disasters could reach 200 million in the coming decade.