Climate Change and Gender
- ywacc.ngo
- Sep 30, 2020
- 2 min read
Hello everyone! We hope you are all doing well and enjoying the start of the new school year. While it certainly looks different, we wish you all success and good health! Today’s article will discuss the intersectionality between climate change and gender inequalities. Specifically, we will look into the relationship between these two issues in the Pacific region.
This complex phenomenon was first brought to my attention through the United Nations Women’s Publication entitled, “WHY IS CLIMATE CHANGE A GENDER ISSUE?” Previously, I had believed that climate change was an issue that severely impacted the entire human population. And while that is certainly true, its effects are by no means equal. Similar to the problem of environmental racism and classism, climate change affects women disproportionately more than their male counterparts.
To start, let’s start with an alarming statistic. According to the United Nations, 67% of all disasters can be traced back to climate change. With the rapidly increasing threat of global warming and climate change, the rate of natural disasters are only increasing. Take a look at last week’s post for example, the California wildfires are usually a yearly occurring event. But the devastation produced from these naturally occurring fires is exacerbated every year because of rising temperatures and arid climates, both of which can be explained by climate change. Because of these climate related disasters, as many as 16.8 million people living in the Pacific have been affected since the 1980s. Of these people, women and children are fourteen times more likely to be killed or injured than men. This disparity is alarming to say the least and reflects just how severely climate change intensifies the already present sexism in our societies.
Additionally, climate change contributes to a rise in sea levels which can lead to a decreased availability of farmland, and in turn, a decreased food source. But perhaps even more importantly, a rise in sea levels will lead to less available fresh water. In many communities, women and young girls are responsible for collecting freshwater for their families. A decrease in fresh drinking water, will force women to spend more time each day trying to find water sources. This will take valuable time away from gaining an education and pursuing economic ventures like most men do. Consequently, this further widens gender disparities.
While there are many, many other results of climate change that impact women, this article should just be taken as a starting off point. We encourage you all to do your own research on this important issue to stay informed, global citizens.
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