Women and Climate Change
Women’s Influence in Global Warming and Environmental Policies
Feb 11, 2008
Climate change is no longer debatable; it is an undeniable fact. The time for governments and the international community to act is now.
The United Nations Development Programme 2007/2008 Human Development Report emphasized that climate change is a scientifically established fact and a massive threat to development needing urgent action.
The Human Development Report found that in some cases, the effects of climate change had already undercut efforts by the international community to assist people affected by extreme poverty.
The Link Between Women and Climate Change
Climate change and environmental policies must be intrinsically linked with gender, as women are often the first to be affected by our changing environment.
The Women’s Environment and Development Organization’s (WEDO) 2007 report on Changing the Climate: Why Women’s Perspectives Matter stated that women are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
According to WEDO, women’s historic disadvantages – their restricted access to resources and information and their limited power in decision-making – make them most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Effects of Climate Change on Women
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2001 State of World Population Report found that deforestation or contamination increased the time women spent looking for fuel wood or safe, clean water and also women’s risk of water-borne disease.
In Gender and Environment (2000), author Susan Buckingham-Hatfield found that women in the state of Gujarat, India now spend four or five hours each day collecting fuel wood, where previously they would have done this only every four to five days.
According to the Human Development Report, global warming changes affecting weather patterns in the Horn of Africa would mean that crops fail and people go hungry, or that women and young girls must spend more hours collecting water.
The Human Development Report also established that long-term damage generated through climate shocks could have devastating impacts, especially on poor and rural communities. Poor and vulnerable households and communities are the first exposed to climate shocks and increased pressure on coping strategies could steadily erode human capabilities.
Women and Environmental Decision-Making
Studies showed that while women are responsible for managing household resources, they typically don’t have a say in the use and management of environmental resources integral to their households and communities.
Governments and other stakeholders should ensure gender equality is at the forefront of climate change initiatives, according to the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO).
The UNFPA 2001 State of the World Population Report also stated that sustainable development demands recognition and value for the multitude of ways in which women’s live intertwine with environmental realities.
Fighting Climate Change and Involving Women
The Human Development Report made the following recommendations:
- Develop a multilateral framework for avoiding dangerous climate change under the post-2012 Kyoto Protocol.
- Put in place policies for sustainable carbon budgeting – the agenda for mitigation.
- Strengthen the framework for international cooperation.
- Put climate change adaptation at the centre of post-2012 Kyoto framework and international partnerships for poverty reduction.
While these recommendations are important for fighting climate change, a gender dimension to these policies should be considered. WEDO recommended that governments ensure that women have access to participate in decisions related to climate change and that gender equality is incorporated in climate change initiatives.
For more information on women and climate change, visit the WEDO website.
Article(s) related to women’s rights: Feminization of Poverty, International Women's Day
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