“Investing in women: Accelerating progress.”
This year’s International Women’s Day theme perfectly aligns with the vital role that women play in combating climate change worldwide.
On March 8, as the public raises awareness about the challenges faced by women in all aspects of life, environmentalists emphasize the need for special attention to be given to gender equality in relation to the threats posed by climate change.
While the climate crisis affects all genders, numerous studies have shown that it disproportionately impacts women, especially those living in impoverished and vulnerable communities with limited access to education and aid.
In many developing countries, women are responsible for providing food, water, and care for their families, often having to travel long distances to fetch supplies. When climate-induced disasters such as droughts, heatwaves, floods, wildfires, dust storms, and sea-level rises occur, women are at a higher risk of exposure because of the way societies are built.
Despite the many obstacles, women are the ones finding innovative solutions and inspiring action to address one of the greatest challenges of our time, experts say.
“Women are at the forefront of climate action as farmers, businesswomen, healthcare workers, and heads of households worldwide,” says Rachel Kyte, Professor of Practice in Climate Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
“Investing in their continued resilience will be crucial as we adapt to the climate impacts we are already experiencing,” Kyte adds.
As temperatures continue to rise, causing harm to various parts of the planet, experts believe that empowering women and closing the gender gap in leadership is an essential step the international community must take to tackle the daunting task of mitigating climate change.
Hardest Hit
The impact of climate change is undeniable, with more frequent, severe, and longer-lasting events becoming the new norm. In a stark confirmation, the World Meteorological Organization declared 2023 as the hottest year on record, setting a concerning precedent.
Women are confronted with unique challenges when it comes to climate change. Heatwaves and droughts disrupt their access to essential sexual and reproductive healthcare services.
Furthermore, pregnant women are more likely to suffer from heat-related illnesses, including dehydration and complications during childbirth.
But that’s not all, aside from bearing the brunt of climate impact on their health, women are also burdened with heavier financial costs. Recent data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization reveals that women-headed households in rural areas experience greater annual income losses compared to men due to heat and flood-related problems.
These examples highlight the unfair disadvantages that girls and women experience, a situation that is getting worse as the effects of climate change intensify. To help fix the problem, governments and individuals need to invest in women to ensure they have equal opportunities in education and the workplace, experts say.
“There are many things that can be done,” says Martina Otto, head of Climate and Clean Air Coalition Secretariat at the United Nations Environment Programme.
“We must flip the script and empower women to be at the center of driving solutions and implementing initiatives, and at the center of businesses in leadership roles,” adds Otto.
A Woman’s Touch
Women possess great knowledge and understanding about the environment and climate change in their communities, especially at the local level.
According to the United Nations, women make up about 40% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries, incidentally one of the highest greenhouse gas-emitting sectors.
In many nations, women oversee their household’s energy and waste management, also sectors contributing to the climate crisis.
But when it comes to designing and implementing policies aimed at reducing emissions, women are fighting for their voices to be heard.
We don’t have to look far to find examples of gender gaps in climate leadership. A couple of months ago, the next host of the annual UN climate talks (COP29) Azerbaijan, appointed an all-male committee to organize the upcoming event in November.
She Changes Climate, a group advocating for inclusion and diversity condemned the move calling it a “regressive step in the journey towards gender parity in climate.”
After much criticism, Azerbaijan added several women to the COP29 task force, but men still have double the number of representation, an all too familiar occurrence, experts say.
Unfortunately, “no country is immune to gender inequality,” says Otto.
“It exists everywhere, country, sector, community, to varying degrees and in different forms, but is prevalent in every society around the world,” adds Otto.
To rectify this wrong, “we will need diversity in decision making to build the just transition that works for everyone,” says Kyte.
“We need women at the table everywhere,” she adds.
Bright Ideas
The world is currently experiencing the largest youth generation in history, comprising more than 16% of the global population, according to the World Youth Report.
Fear and anxiety about the climate crisis among the young is a real worry. Surveys illustrate that nearly half of the global youth struggle with psychological distress because they believe governments are not doing enough to respond to climate change.
As a result, many movements like Fridays For Future led by youth are taking action and fighting for their right to a healthy and clean environment.
Some young women have taken matters into their own hands and are making a real impact in the places they live, but this is not without its difficulties, organization members say.
“Personally, the biggest challenge we face is access to funds and resources for our work,” says Fazeela Mubarak, the local lead for Fridays for Future in Kenya.
“Being grassroots, we know our communities, the challenges and what we need to do to cope with the climate crisis, however, we have very little support,” adds Mubarak who also runs Wild Heart Kenya, an environmental group focused on women and children affected by climate change.
It is no secret and it has been proven that increasing the number of women in leadership roles results in more transparent and effective policies across the environment sector, experts say.
“So, why must women be at the heart of climate action? Because we won’t succeed without them,” Otto says.
