Women and girls around the world face greater risks and burdens of climate change than their male counterparts, but their exclusion from positions of authority have prevented them from having a say in creating real solutions.
Gender inequality is most evident within education, healthcare systems, and employment sectors – but it is also creating obstacles for solving the global threat of climate change.
Though a warming world affects everyone, women are generally more vulnerable to its negative impacts, especially in developing countries. The UNFCC has reported that 80 percent of those displaced by the climate crisis are women and children.
In developing nations where education rates for girls are low, the primary role of women consists of harvesting and cooking food, collecting water, and gathering wood for cooking fires and other sources of energy.
So when resource shortages are caused by worsened weather patterns, life becomes disproportionately difficult for women whose livelihoods and security revolves around carrying out these tasks.
We know women are on the front lines of the experiences of climate change. Gender Day at COP26 hopes to acquire funding to mitigate these issues in the future, by bringing women and girls to the forefront of decision making and policy surrounding climate.
As pillars of their communities, women hold a wide breadth of local knowledge and strong potential for leadership. Women are experts at sustainable resource management and understand how to carry out sustainable practices in households and at community level.
As such, empowering women through improved healthcare, education, and in government representation will help societies realise and adapt to the consequences of climate change more efficiently.
Research backs this up, too. Where women are active participants in political systems, governments typically become more responsive to the needs of citizens, with increased cooperation across parties and the boosting of ethics during decision making processes.
The pandemic has been a great example of how global crises amplify existing disparities, and climate change is no different. In fact, only a third of climate finance currently considers the different needs of women and men.
What have leaders at COP26’s Gender Day said?
During today’s COP event, the goal is to acquire more funding for organisations working towards making the fight against climate more gender inclusive.
Central to achieving this is that wealthy nations trust and acceptance that citizens in developing nations – particularly women – deeply understand what will work best and what is most realistic for their communities.
Communities in developing nations have a unique set of needs that depend on their local resources and environment, and wealthy nations will need to offer assistance accordingly.
So far, the UK has pledged £165m in funding towards closing the gender gap worldwide. £45m of this will ‘help empower local communities and grassroots women’s groups in Asia and the Pacific to challenge gender inequalities and adapt to the impacts of climate change.’
The remaining £120m will go towards building resilience, preventing pollution, protecting biodiversity, strengthening renewable energy and better manage waste, while also supporting women’s leadership, access to finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.
Women and girls are leading #ClimateAction movements around the world. Their voices count and must be heard and acted upon. #COP26
At the event itself though, 45 percent of the COP26 unit was made up of women. But UK organisers were subjected to criticism when it was revealed that a majority of senior front roles are held by male ministers, civil servants, and other officials.
It’s clear, women deserve a seat at the table during discussions on how to adapt in the face of a warming world.
If you need any more convincing, check out this list of amazing girls who are innovating and advocating for a safer environment by working to stop climate change in their local communities.
Deputy Editor & Content Partnership ManagerLondon, UK
I’m Jessica (She/Her). I’m the Deputy Editor & Content Partnership Manager at Thred. Originally from the island of Bermuda, I specialise in writing about ocean health and marine conservation, but you can also find me delving into pop culture, health and wellness, plus sustainability in the beauty and fashion industries. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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