On the Front Line: Women and the Climate Crisis by Ella Ticktin-Smith
It is widely acknowledged that climate change does not affect everyone equally. As global warming undermines livelihoods and displaces populations worldwide, it is the marginalised groups in society who will feel these changes most acutely. Despite remarkable progress in women’s rights over the last century, the structural inequalities and prejudices faced by women around the world continue to threaten their ability to respond to the impacts of climate change. As women are particularly vulnerable to poverty, it is easy to see why this might be the case. When extreme weather events like droughts or forest fires strike, it is the poorest communities who find it hardest to recover from the loss of homes, livelihoods and natural resources. In fact, the UN has suggested that up to 80% of climate refugees are women. It goes without saying that those most at risk are women of colour and indigenous women, highlighting how, as ever, gender intersects with issues of race and class. There are many more reasons why women appear to bear the brunt of climate breakdown. As the primary caretakers in many families, women are often the first to go hungry during times of food shortage, as they sacrifice their own diet to prevent other family members from becoming malnourished. In rural communities, women also shoulder the responsibility of collecting water and energy resources—a task that becomes increasingly time-consuming as climate change makes these resources harder to locate. In many cases, young girls have to miss school in order to source water, while others are forced to drop out of education entirely. The ways in which climate change exacerbates existing inequalities can be stark. Crucially, on average, more women die during natural disasters than men. Often, this is because they haven’t been taught how to swim, or they fear leaving the house unattended. Women are not just at risk from the natural environment—catastrophic events also result in a rise in gender-based violence, human trafficking and exploitation.
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