VIEW FROM THE COMMONWEALTH WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS
GENDER DIMENSIONS OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) Chairperson, Hon. Dr Zainab Gimba, MP, Member of the Federal Parliament of Nigeria The climate change crisis presents one of the greatest challenges to the world. It has continued to remain the world's biggest issue as its impacts continue to change our world. The earth’s climate is rapidly changing, and these changes have significantly affected our lives. The increasing demand for energy and resources due to population growth and industrialisation has stretched resources, resulting in exploitation and its attendant effects on the environment. Climate patterns play an important role in shaping our natural ecosystems and the economies and culture that depend on them. The changes in climate affect how people, plants and animals live. Climatic conditions often have a major influence on the livelihood, health and security of the poorest people in the world. Women suffer higher risks and a greater burden from the impacts of climate change in the face of poverty as the majority of the world’s poor are women. The discussion on climate change has often neglected the gender dimensions of its impacts. Many international protocols on climate change do not capture a gender perspective on proposals to fight climate change. We must realise that climate change widens the existing gender inequalities and poses a unique range of threats to the livelihood, health and safety of women and girls. Without
“We must realise that climate change widens the existing gender inequalities and poses a unique range of threats to the livelihood, health and safety of women and girls. Without gender analysis of the impact of climate change, we overlook an important aspect of social life in a changing climate.” 294 | The Parliamentarian | 2022: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing
gender analysis of the impact of climate change, we overlook an important aspect of social life in a changing climate. As the world struggles to promote sustainable environment, attention must be given to the survival needs of the most vulnerable in society. Climate change and its direct consequences, such as floods, droughts, deforestation, land degradation, water scarcity, heat waves, storms, soil losses, farmers and herder crisis and rapid urbanisation, have adverse implications on physical infrastructure, water, energy supply and employment. All these have altered the economies of the world and its social relations. To be sure, everyone is affected by the changes, but women are disproportionately affected due to the imbalance in power relations and resources allocation, particularly in developing countries. Climate change has serious ramifications in four dimensions of food security: food availability, food accessibility, food utilisation and food systems stability. Women constitute the significant global poor, and they rely on farming for survival in contrast to men, who enjoy economic advantage. Women farmers currently account for 45-80% of all food production in developing countries depending on the region (according to www.un.org). About two-thirds of the female labour force in developing countries, and more than 90% in many African countries, are engaged in agricultural work. Thus, when farming comes under severe weather conditions, resulting in the loss of soil, deforestation and other social threats, women face a loss of income and their sources of livelihood and this further pushes them into poverty. Women are often excluded from decision making on access to and the use of land and resources critical to their livelihoods. It is important therefore, that the rights of rural women are ensured in regards to food security, non-discriminatory access to resources, and equitable participation in decision making processes. In many cases, women have limited access to information on new techniques on adaptive measures to manage the effects of climate change on their environment and farming. These also expose women to suffer more from the vagaries associated with climate change.