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What are pressures on health and agrifood systems? -

Air pollution, rising temperatures, crop failures, and water shortages increase pressures on health and agrifood systems.

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What happens during these crises? -

Households must often reduce the consumption of food, sell assets, migrate, or adjust how labor is allocated amongst men and women.

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Who is at the greatest risk of food insecurity? - Women and children are at greater risk of food insecurity. This is due to lower access to and/or control of productive resources, services, perceived expendability, household decision-making, and income allocation.

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How does climate shock affect women and girls? -

For female-headed households, 8% more income is lost due to heat stress and 3% more because of floods.

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Women in vulnerbale countries -

Selvin Hart, the UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on Climate Action, said that not only are women primarily affected the most by climate crises but specifically women in poor and vulnerable countries.

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Why does it impact women more? - Unfortunately, women often don't have adequate or equal education compared to men or they have limited access to infrastructure, leaving them vulnerable.

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What other threats are multiplied due to the climate crisis? -

The UN discovered that intimate partner violence spikes, girls are pulled from school, and sexual exploitation and trafficking happen at a higher rate.

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Statistics -

Moderate or severe food insecurity in adult women rose from 27.5% in 2019 to 31.9% in 2021.

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More statistics -

When an extreme weather event happens, women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men.

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Why are woman more likely to die? -

Women are more likely to be impacted due to limited access to information, limited mobility, limited decision-making abilities culturally, and a lack of resources.

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Hardships of girls -

Increased rainfall has caused girls to spend more time gathering wood and water and transporting it farther distances. Doing so has increased their exposure to things like violence and missing school.

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Marriage of girls -

Girls in their adolescence have an increased likelihood of being forced into marriage to alleviate financial difficulties that result from extreme weather events.

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Hygiene - Many women and teenage girls who are displaced because of climate-related changes often have limited access to menstrual hygiene or reproductive health options.

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Staggering effects -

According to UNICEF, in a worst-case scenario, if structural gender inequalities and barriers because of climate aren’t resolved, up to 158.3 million more women and girls could be pushed into poverty by mid-century.

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Investments -

Long-term investments in social protection systems and short-term adaptations are needed in order to help women and girls reduce vulnerability when it comes to climate or economic shocks.

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Adaptations -

Some adaptive measures could include cash or in-kind assistance and livelihood diversification, connections to an early warning system, and linkages to access social services and health insurance.

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What is social assistance? -

Social assistance is there to aid households in meeting basic needs and to improve their coping responses.

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Empowering women and girls -

Empowering women and girls is the key to climate action. Half of the world’s food production is the responsibility of women. That is especially true in developing countries where women produce up to 80% of food.

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Information -

Women bring incredibly valuable information about building a community resilient to climate change. For example, it’s important to preserve crop biodiversity and seed varieties as well as to use natural soil building and fertilization methods.

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Resources - If women had the same access to productive resources as men then farm yields could increase by a staggering 20 to 30% thereby feeding an additional 100 to 150 million hungry people.

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Women are the backbone of resilence -

It’s estimated that women do at least two and a half times the household work and care work compared to men. When a climate disaster strikes, women take on even more responsibilities.

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First responders -

In disastrous situations, women are tasked with not only providing support to their families but also caring for the sick and injured.

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Politics -

Though women are disproportionately impacted by climate disasters and spearhead the recovery following one, they are widely excluded from shaping policies that impact them and their community. 

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Agents of change -

Women are agents of change In wealthier societies, where they drive 70-80% of consumer purchasing decisions and are more likely to recycle, minimize waste, and buy organic produce.

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Studies -

Studies show that countries with higher proportions of women in parliament are more likely to ratify international environmental treaties and ultimately have stricter climate policies.

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Business today - In business today, an increasing number of women contribute to the renewable energy sector. In fact, 40% of the employees in the solar energy sector are women.

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How can you make a difference? -

You can make a difference by not only educating yourself but also being an active voice for women in politics and policy decisions. If you live in a wealthy country, speak up and out for your sisters in poorer countries who are struggling.

Sources: (CNN) (UNICEF) (United Nations) (BBC)

See also: Will this be the first country destroyed by climate change?

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