Climate change affects us all, but not in the same way. Children born today will experience 13 to 30 times as many heatwaves during their lifetime compared to if they were born in a world without climate change. However, for everyone, climate change means that the weather in our lives is already different from previous generations.
A Life with Unprecedented Weather Extremes
Climate change increasingly influences the weather, and consequently the likelihood of weather extremes. Heatwaves, droughts, and extreme rainfall are becoming more frequent, leading to greater chances of wildfires and flooding. How much extreme weather someone is exposed to in their lifetime strongly depends on their year of birth. Compared to people who lived before the industrial revolution, those living now (you and I!) experience unprecedented weather extremes.
Generational Differences in Number of Heatwaves
Even within the generations living now, the differences are significant. In a previous climate report, I wrote how my own family history is closely linked to the weather. Climate researchers have now expressed this in numbers. Comparing the number of weather extremes my father (born in 1956) experiences during his lifetime with those of myself (1988) or my children (2022, 2025), clear differences emerge.
Image 1 shows this at a glance, especially the differences in exposure to heatwaves stand out. Due to climate change, my father will likely experience over five times as many heatwaves as in a world without warming. For my children, the difference is even greater: more than 13 times as many if the climate goals of the Paris Agreement are met, and even over 30 times as many in a scenario with high greenhouse gas emissions. Outside of Europe, the differences can be even larger; children in North Africa and East Asia are expected to experience even greater changes (Image 2).