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Friday, 10 March 2017

15. Gender and climate change

[Assignment- First Two Year Batch-MEd. 2015-17
- Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram]

Addressing the gender issue in climate change

-Shaila Mahmud
 December 08, 2016

*Climate change impacts women in specific ways /REUTERS

*An inclusive, gender-balanced approach is need to fight climate change.

The momentum achieved in Paris last year in embracing gender equality and women’s empowerment in climate change decisions and actions reached greater heights this year in Morocco at the 22nd session of the Conference of Parties (COP).




Women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men—primarily as they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are more dependent for their livelihood on natural resources that are threatened by climate change. Furthermore, they face social, economic and political barriers that limit their coping capacity. Women and men in rural areas in developing countries are especially vulnerable when they are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood. Those charged with the responsibility to secure water, food and fuel for cooking and heating face the greatest challenges. Secondly, when coupled with unequal access to resources and to decision-making processes, limited mobility places women in rural areas in a position where they are disproportionately affected by climate change. It is thus important to identify gender-sensitive strategies to respond to the environmental and humanitarian crises caused by climate change.
Climate change has a greater impact on those sections of the population, in all countries, that are most reliant on natural resources for their livelihoods and/or who have the least capacity to respond to natural hazards, such as droughts, landslides, floods and hurricanes. Women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change in situations of poverty, and the majority of the world’s poor are women. Women’s unequal participation in decision-making processes and labour markets compound inequalities and often prevent women from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation.
Suggestions
*Greater female participation in economic development will lead to productivity gains
*Women’s paid employment rates were raised to the same level as men’s
*Women’s greater participation is also likely to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of climate change projects and policies.
*Have a clear understanding of what strategies are needed at the local level.
References
http://unfccc.int/gender_and_climate_change/items/7516.php
http://www.wcdrr.org/wcdrr-data/uploads/854/Women_and_Climate_Change_Factsheet_UNWomenWatch.pdf
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/climate_change/factsheet.html
http://www.uncclearn.org/sites/default/files/inventory/unwomen704.pdf
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/gender/Gender%20and%20Environment/PB1-AP-Overview-Gender-and-climate-change.pdf
Submitted  by Ms.Fathima Nazrin



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