The UN Child Rights Committee has reported that climate change has a negative impact on children on Sunday, according to BBC News.
The committee, made up of 18 legal experts who serve a four year term, is currently made up of lawyers and professors who represent their countries in the UN.
The committee has drawn up a contract with the help of children to provide clear ways that children can be protected from climate change in the future. The committee also had children from 121 countries share how climate change has been affecting their communities, with a total of 16,331 contributions.
The guidelines of the contract include monitoring the air quality, controlling toxic lead exposure and regulating food safety.
Part of the contract also includes plans to start the process of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources.
According to the New York Times, the committee believes that it is essential that something is done about climate change to protect youth, and that the youth reserve the right to take legal recourse.
“Children have the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,” wrote the committee. “This right is implicit in the convention and directly linked to, in particular, the rights to life, survival and development.”