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Climate change and gender, and the women rising to the challenge

Climate change is a problem that impacts people across the globe; however, it can be described as a ‘threat multiplier’, as it escalates tensions already existent within society. This blog aims to briefly explore how climate change can exacerbate challenges already faced by women and to highlight some extraordinary women fighting to improve the impact of climate change for everybody.

Published:
WISE Blog 06 June 2023 image showing a colourful globe demonstrating climate change

In many cultures, women have a greater dependence on natural resources; they are responsible for securing food, water, and fuel for their families and the wider community. Although statistics vary, women make a majority contribution to the world’s food production but own a disproportionately much smaller percentage of agricultural land. As a result, reduced aid is offered to women when climate affects crops. 

Climate change is an issue that disproportionately affects the poor, and due to gender inequality in work, the majority of the world’s poor are women. Inequality in work can be attributed to several factors including lower wages, lack of decent work and long work hours. Additionally, there are still vast disparities in education for women and gender distribution within decision-making roles. Thus, it is important to consider the biased gender impact of climate change and identify the root of the problem. Humanitarian programmes that focus on climate change's impact must consider gender diversity and strive to achieve improved integration of women and marginalised groups into decision-making.

As a ‘threat multiplier’, the impact of climate change can include disturbing peace within communities. Conflict can threaten women’s safety, especially through increased cases of gender-based violence and forced marriage. This, coupled with increased risk for maternal and infant health, unfortunately means that women are less likely to survive when a natural disaster strikes. Aid provided should reflect this.

However, it’s not all negative. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight just a few of the amazing women around the globe who are working hard to minimise the impact of the climate crisis (links are included to find out more).

  • Kate Marvel – a climate scientist and writer based in New York, dispelling misinformation about climate change with research and storytelling. 
  • Kotchakorn Voraakhom – a landscape architect from Thailand who works to increase urban resilience in Southeast Asia, for example designing parks which help to combat flooding in Bangkok.
  • Miranda Wang - the cofounder of Novoloop, a company that creates high-performance materials from plastic waste.
  • Rumaitha Al Busaidi – an Omani marine scientist, ex-footballer, climate change and women’s rights activist and founder of WomeX, a platform with the goal of helping women in the Arab world control their careers and lives.
  • Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim – a Chadian environmental activist who is an expert in the adaptation and mitigation of indigenous peoples and women in relation to climate change.

Learn more:
1.    The “Not without Us!” Podcast – promoting the integration of gender justice in international climate politics.

Sources

  1. https://unfccc.int/gender
  2. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected
  3. https://www.actionaid.org.uk/our-work/emergencies-disasters-humanitarian-response/climate-change-and-gender#:~:text=Women%20and%20girls%20are%20more,resources%2C%20which%20are%20being%20threatened 

Alice L.

 

 

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