Global climate change policy still failing women despite 50 years of meetings
- The UN has been holding high-level meetings on the environment since the early 1970s, yet women’s needs still get overlooked
- Focusing on the effects of climate change on women and ensuring they are involved in climate decision-making can help build a just and sustainable future for all
Even after 50 years of efforts to preserve the environment, the effects of climate change are disproportionately felt by women. Female mortality rates from heat exposure have increased significantly since the 1970s. And inequalities in gender mortality rates from natural disasters have risen continuously from the 1970s to the 2000s.
The UN has estimated that about 383 million women and girls lived in extreme poverty at the end of last year. Despite 63 per cent of women aged 25 to 54 being in the global workforce, they still face an estimated 23 per cent wage gap compared to men.
Meanwhile, a lack of economic and social empowerment restricts women’s involvement in climate change decision-making on adaptation and mitigation. Women and children under five bear an estimated 88 per cent of the burden of disease caused by climate change.
To address climate change, it is vital to acknowledge the gender component and include it in policy frameworks. Women must be at the forefront of developing sustainable technologies to be able to adapt to the changing climate. Developing infrastructure requires more investment that takes gender equality into account.
While women are recognised as being vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they are also champions of adaptation and mitigation measures. In Chile, women are bringing their skills in engineering, research and project management to participate in renewable energy projects, including the development of solar and wind energy. They play a vital role in advocating for energy efficiency and conservation practices within households and communities.
On Gender Day during the 2021 UN climate change meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, women took to the global stage to demand greater representation. Even though a day was dedicated to gender issues, and multiple countries made financial pledges, the conference did not feature many women at the decision-making level, particularly indigenous women and those from vulnerable countries. This underrepresentation is concerning as women comprised less than a third of country negotiating teams attending the UN summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last year.
One possible measure for the next UN climate change conference, which takes place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, is to give greater precedence to the gender action plan.
If the world’s largest climate conference were to focus on the effects of climate change on women and commit to ensuring their meaningful participation, it would have a significant impact on global decision-making while contributing to a just and sustainable future for all. Fifty years should be enough time for the world to implement a gender-sensitive climate agenda.
Professor Syed Munir Khasru is chairman of the international think tank IPAG Asia-Pacific, Australia, with a presence also in Dhaka, Delhi, Dubai and Vienna