Climate Change and Gender Justice: A Critical Exploration
Climate change is a global challenge that affects all individuals and societies, yet its impacts are not felt equally across different demographics. While it is widely recognized that climate change poses severe environmental, social, and economic risks, what is less frequently discussed is how it exacerbates gender inequality. In many parts of the world, climate change disproportionately affects women and marginalized gender groups, who often bear the brunt of its consequences. This connection between climate change and gender is an essential issue for achieving gender justice in the context of environmental policy and social development. The United Nations (UN), through various reports and frameworks, has consistently advocated for incorporating a gendered perspective into climate action, recognizing the need for gender justice to address the specific vulnerabilities and resilience capacities of women in the face of climate change.
1. Understanding the Gender-Climate Nexus
The relationship between gender and climate change can be understood through several critical aspects:
- Differential Vulnerabilities: Women, especially those in low-income and rural areas, often bear the brunt of climate change impacts due to their social roles, limited access to resources, and lower social capital. In many parts of the world, women are responsible for securing food, water, and fuel for their households. These tasks become significantly more challenging as climate change leads to water scarcity, extreme weather events, and food insecurity. The World Bank report on gender and climate change highlights that women, particularly in developing countries, are more likely to experience disproportionate impacts from climate change due to their reliance on agriculture, which is vulnerable to changing weather patterns.
- Impact of Natural Disasters: Natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and droughts often have devastating effects on communities. However, women and girls are at greater risk during such events. UN Women‘s “Gender and Climate Change: The Impact of Climate Change on Women” report emphasizes how women are more likely to face displacement, violence, and loss of livelihood during and after climate-induced disasters. This is particularly true in developing countries where the lack of infrastructure and early warning systems exacerbates vulnerabilities.
- Access to Resources: In many cultures, women have limited access to land, credit, and technology, all of which are essential for building resilience to climate change. Women in agriculture-dependent communities often face legal and societal restrictions that prevent them from owning land or receiving formal financial support. This lack of access to critical resources hinders their ability to adapt to changing climates and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report discusses how women’s limited access to land and property rights often leaves them unable to invest in climate-resilient agricultural practices or infrastructure.
- Health Impacts: Climate change also exacerbates health disparities. Women and children are more susceptible to the effects of rising temperatures, poor sanitation, and the spread of diseases such as malaria, cholera, and other vector-borne diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that women are more likely to be affected by climate-related health issues, especially in the context of reproductive health and childcare. Heatwaves, waterborne diseases, and pollution also have a disproportionate impact on women’s health, especially in already marginalized communities.
2. The Need for Gender Justice in Climate Change Policy
Gender justice refers to the principle of ensuring equal rights, opportunities, and participation for all genders, particularly in the context of policy and decision-making. Gender justice in climate change means recognizing that climate change impacts different genders in different ways and that responses to climate change must take these differences into account. Climate justice — a framework that advocates for fair and equitable responses to climate change — is often linked with gender justice to ensure that the needs and experiences of women and gender minorities are addressed in climate action.
a. Recognition of Women’s Leadership and Agency in Climate Action
The UN recognizes that women, despite being disproportionately affected by climate change, also play a critical role in building resilience and driving solutions to environmental challenges. Women have been central to sustainable resource management and climate adaptation strategies, particularly in rural and indigenous communities. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) affirms that gender equality should be integrated into climate change policies and emphasizes the importance of empowering women as agents of change. Women possess valuable local knowledge and experience that can contribute to sustainable climate solutions, yet this knowledge has often been overlooked in policy and decision-making processes.
The Paris Agreement (2015) explicitly recognizes the role of gender equality in addressing climate change, urging parties to take a gender-responsive approach in climate action. Article 7 of the Agreement highlights the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of climate adaptation, mitigation, and finance. This marks a significant step toward gender justice by acknowledging that women must be included in decision-making processes to effectively address climate change.
b. Policy and Governance Frameworks
The UN and other international bodies have developed several frameworks and recommendations to address the gender-climate connection:
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the UN in 2015, include a strong emphasis on gender equality and climate action. Goal 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, while Goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. These goals are interconnected, as achieving gender equality is essential for effective climate action, and addressing climate change is crucial for the well-being of women globally.
- The Gender Action Plan (GAP): The UNFCCC Gender Action Plan (GAP), established in 2017, is a comprehensive framework designed to ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed into climate action. The GAP encourages countries to implement gender-responsive climate policies, including integrating gender equality into national adaptation plans (NAPs) and national determined contributions (NDCs). The plan also calls for improving women’s access to climate financing and building their capacity to participate in climate decision-making.
c. Fostering Climate Resilience through Gender-Responsive Adaptation
Women’s inclusion in climate adaptation and resilience-building efforts is essential for addressing the specific needs of vulnerable populations. For instance, women farmers in rural areas are particularly vulnerable to climate variability and changing weather patterns. Adaptation strategies that involve training women in climate-resilient agricultural techniques and providing access to climate-smart technologies can help reduce vulnerability. UN Women advocates for the inclusion of women in decision-making processes related to climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, as they often possess valuable knowledge and resources for managing climate risks.
3. Challenges in Implementing Gender Justice in Climate Action
While there is growing recognition of the need for gender justice in climate change, significant challenges remain in implementing gender-responsive climate policies:
- Political Will and Funding: In many countries, there is a lack of political will to prioritize gender equality in climate policies. Climate change remains a pressing global issue, and gender often takes a backseat in national and international negotiations. Moreover, insufficient funding for gender-responsive climate projects limits the capacity of women and marginalized groups to effectively engage in climate action.
- Social Norms and Gender Inequality: Deep-seated social norms and gender inequality in many parts of the world continue to prevent women from fully participating in climate decision-making. In patriarchal societies, women often face systemic barriers to education, employment, and leadership positions, which affects their ability to engage in climate-related work.
4. Conclusion
Climate change is not only an environmental issue but also a gender justice issue that requires a holistic and inclusive approach to address its impacts effectively. Women, especially those in vulnerable and marginalized communities, are disproportionately affected by climate change, yet they also possess the knowledge and skills to contribute to climate solutions. Gender-responsive climate policies are essential for building resilience, promoting sustainable development, and ensuring that all people — regardless of gender — can adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. The UN’s recognition of the importance of gender equality in climate action, alongside frameworks like the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC Gender Action Plan, marks a positive step forward. However, there is a need for greater political commitment, adequate funding, and a deepened understanding of gender dynamics to achieve genuine gender justice in the global response to climate change.