MilouDirkx
Global coverage on the gender-climate nexus: from leadership to early warning systems
Words for the climate
Translated from Italian
Now that the hot days of COP29 are behind us, to understand where we are and how to continue this fight for rights even with the spotlight elsewhere, we asked some questions to Erika Moranduzzo, jurist, researcher at the British University of Leeds and coordinator of the Climate and Rights section of the Italian Climate Network , an association of volunteers for the fight against climate change founded in 2011 and aimed at involving the younger generations in education, instruction and advocacy activities on these issues.
Before entering the corridors of the stadium where the Cop29 took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, can you explain why it is so important to focus on gender rights when addressing a global phenomenon such as the climate crisis?
The reason is first of all in the scientific evidence, as well as in that underlined by civil society. Climate change has a disproportionate impact on women, compared to other social groups, because they are vulnerable subjects, as well as children, the elderly, disabled and immigrants, who already suffer from forms of inequality. Climate events act as risk multipliers, amplifying and exacerbating the inequities that pre-exist within our society. In many United Nations reports - both those relating to socio-economic rights such as the right to food or water or immigration , and those dedicated to the effects of climate change and current climate policies - there is always a section dedicated to women as a social group, precisely because it emerges that they are particularly exposed to these phenomena : women have much higher mortality rates than men, especially in cultural contexts where they are not taught certain things.
"We will have proven that it is possible to profitably give green energy to vulnerable communities."
鈥業 want to tackle it in a big way鈥�: Meet the Nigerian women spearheading solar projects
Professor Yinka Omoregbe is hoping to bridge the energy gap as CEO of Etin Power, providing energy to offgrid communities using mini solar grids. She brings a wealth of experience to the role as a former national advisor on the reform of Nigeria鈥檚 petroleum sector and a former state attorney general.
In its first year, Etin Power provided electricity to over 5,200 people in three neglected coastal communities in Edo State, southern Nigeria.
While the results so far are small, Omoregbe鈥檚 ambitions are far bigger. 鈥淲e'll have grids all over the place, everywhere, and we will still be in vulnerable communities. We will have proven that it is possible to profitably give green energy to vulnerable communities.鈥�
True to her private sector roots, Omoregbe is here to make a profit, as well as a difference.
鈥�I'm not in there just to look at two communities and be very happy with myself. I'm not an NGO. I don't want to be disrespectful, but a lot of the time, the NGOs are very content with minor outcomes or small outcomes. I'm not, because it's a huge problem, and I want to tackle it in a big way if I can, and also invite other people to tackle it in a big way.鈥�
She sees energy provision as a key factor in ending poverty; especially in rural Nigeria, where almost half of the country鈥檚 population lives but only about 34 per cent of people have access to electricity.
鈥�These rural communities have been completely left out of the climate change conversation, even when they are the most affected,鈥� says Omoregbe.
Social barriers risk leaving women behind in India's greener future
By Roli Srivastava for Climate Home News, November 2024 (India)
While solar has thrown up jobs for technicians and helpers post-installation, these roles require schooling up to twelfth and ninth grade respectively, which many girls don鈥檛 have in rural India.
鈥�Many of them drop out of school to help in agriculture,鈥� said Arpit Sharma, who heads India鈥檚 Skill Council for Green Jobs, which was launched by the Indian government less than a decade ago and acts as the interface between industry and candidates it trains for the green sector.
Sharma said reluctance among families to send their daughters to a 鈥渕ale-dominated site鈥� and not having toilets at projects were key reasons for low numbers of women.
鈥�Women are able to do this work, but the conditions are not conducive. We are speaking to industry about creating at least washrooms on site, and training centres to induct more women,鈥� said Sharma.
UNDP supported initiative in Zimbabwe helps combat climate change and gender-based violence
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), has announced the transformative impact of the Climate Resilient Livelihoods (CRL) Project in Foroma Village, Chipinge District.
The groundbreaking initiative is not only combating the adverse effects of climate change but also addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by creating sustainable and supportive livelihoods.
The CRL Project is equipping farmers with tools and knowledge to adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices, enhancing food security and incomes. Investments in bee apiaries further provides a sustainable source of income while promoting biodiversity.
Project Manager Mr. Rungano Benza emphasised, 鈥淭he CRL Project is more than a climate initiative; it鈥檚 a community transformation effort. By addressing livelihoods, we鈥檙e reducing GBV and fostering harmony.
UN action on gender and climate faces uphill climb as warming hurts women
Countries are expected to renew key global initiatives for advancing gender-responsive climate action and improving gender balance in official delegations at UN negotiations. So far progress has been slow. After more than a decade of working towards those aims within the UN climate process, wilder weather and rising seas are still disproportionately affecting women and gender-diverse people, as global warming continues apace.
For example, female-headed rural households experience higher income losses due to extreme weather events like floods and droughts, through impacts on farming and other activities.
Rates of child marriage and violence against women and girls have been shown to increase during and after climate disasters. And studies have identified a positive correlation between drought-induced displacement and hysterectomies among female farm labourers in India.
At the same time, barriers like caring responsibilities, lack of funding, difficulties in obtaining visas and even sexual harassment in UN spaces persist, standing in the way of women鈥檚 equal participation in the climate negotiating rooms.
Teenage pregnancies soar as climate-induced floods uproot more families in Kasese District
According聽to the United Nations Population Fund Uganda, women and girls are among the worst affected during climate-induced disasters. These often disrupt education and access to health services, increasing unplanned pregnancies, as lack of education and health services means that girls' understanding of their own sexual and reproductive health is limited. In cases where people are displaced and forced into camps, sexual violence, child marriages and other harmful practices also tend to rise.
Uganda鈥檚 climate change Act 2021 is gender sensitive. It聽advocates for gender mainstreaming in climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes, but聽implementation remains a challenge as the gendered聽effects聽of climate disasters are often disregarded during response and recovery.
鈥�These environment disasters affect everybody, but there are subgroups聽that need special attention,鈥澛爏aid Irene Twongeirwe, technical lead on climate at Women for Green Economies. 鈥淎ny kind of response has to prioritise women and girls sexual and reproductive health needs.鈥�
India鈥檚 Women Climate Collective announces new cohort to expedite leadership in climate action
Recognising the pivotal role that women can play in driving effective climate action, the Women Climate Collective (WCC), a collective of women working in the climate or gender ecosystem, is strategically consolidating its efforts to amplify women-led initiatives. Their cohort highlights the unique challenges faced by women while also underscoring their contributions to the global climate discourse.
In 2023, the WCC programme built the capacities of 16 women climate leaders, some of whom represented India on key global platforms including COP28 and were recognised through prestigious awards.
The guardian angel: One woman鈥檚 fight to save lives in flood-prone Nepal
Gurung is an unsung guardian of Nepal鈥檚 southwestern plains, where floods can strike without warning and wreak havoc on communities. Her meticulous record-keeping, performed three times a day, underpins a vital early warning system.
Yet, her indispensable work comes with little recognition and a modest government stipend.
Nepal, home to around 30 million people, is among the world's most vulnerable countries to the climate crisis, facing increasing threats from monsoon-triggered floods and landslides that destroy homes, farmlands, and lives.
"At current rates of promoting women in the industry, it will take 140 years to see equal numbers of men and women in senior financial positions."
The women pushing for climate action inside the world鈥檚 central banks
As in most areas in business and industry, there are startlingly few women in senior positions within the financial sector.
The latest annual report from think tank the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) on gender balance shows that at current rates of promoting women in the industry, it will take 140 years to see equal numbers of men and women in senior financial positions. Out of 186 central banks assessed in 2023, only 22 had women occupying the governor鈥檚 office, and that number has barely changed in the 10 years since OMFIF began compiling the report.
So it is well worth celebrating the women who have made it to senior positions at central banks, especially those highlighting the role the global financial system can play in addressing the climate crisis. Here are just some of the women making waves at the top of national and international financial institutions.
Clean cookstoves are saving lives but industry says a lack of government support is stopping uptake
Like many women across Ghana, Suzzy relies on firewood and charcoal to cook. She has built a traditional cookstove with carefully arranged stones, cement bricks and an old roofing sheet to shield against wind. Her discoloured cooking utensils and smoggy cooking area hint at the silent menace that is plaguing her health.
The benefits of clean cooking are extensive, and include the protection of forests and biodiversity that are being destroyed as forests are cut down for charcoal. Protecting biodiversity is key to protecting Ghana鈥檚 soil fertility and wildlife. Protecting forests helps soak up the greenhouse gases causing climate change.
Since its inception in 2012, the Ghana Alliance for Clean Cooking, a network of stakeholders promoting clean cooking, has distributed more than two million clean cookstoves across the country. To improve accessibility, they subsidise the cost of clean cookstoves for rural communities. Women can pay as low as 1 Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) to get a clean cookstove and the remaining amount is paid in installments. The distribution is funded by grants from international donors.
Meet Chen Hui-Ping: the "Wave Maker" of bridging the gender gap to net zero in Taiwan
Translated from Chinese
In February, SDG.SHERO, the first women-led group of energy auditors in Taiwan, officially launched. It is not a K-pop culture super group as it may sound. The group's leader, Chen Hui-Ping, hopes to bring together women energy auditors and empower women to participate in Taiwan's transition to net-zero.
Chen told the Environmental Information Center (EIC) that women play a crucial role in household energy management. However, they are often not given enough opportunities to enter the green jobs sector.
Last year, Chen launched the 鈥淕ender-Wave NetZero Movement鈥�, hoping it would come out in waves and reach women in all corners of society.
Women affected by 鈥榞ender-biased鈥� climate change deserve justice
Pedi Obani, an Associate Professor at the University of Bradford, explains that women and girls experience the negative impacts of climate change differently than men. He explained that while there was a focus on empowering women through representation and on women鈥檚 sexual, reproductive, and land rights, for instance, there was little research on these rights and climate change. As a result, women were excluded from justice processes.
Climate lawsuits are an important way for women to access justice, particularly in Africa, as a growing body of research shows climate change affects them more than men in terms of health, farming, migration, and conflict.
Obani noted that to improve access to climate justice, data needs to be collected on women鈥檚 and girls鈥� experiences of climate change. Additionally, women need legal aid to take up climate lawsuits and gender-sensitive climate laws to protect them.
Farmers on the front lines: smallholders in Egypt confront climate change 鈥� and sexism 鈥� head on
As a means of promoting women's economic empowerment, the cultivation of potatoes began in 2021 through She Feeds the World. The women were provided with technical assistance and training to support their efforts. [...]
Last year, Beni Suef saw extremely strong rainfall, which caused flooding. Rainwater leaked into the potatoes Ibrahim鈥檚 group had planted, as well as into their dwellings.聽
Agronomists from the She Feeds the World initiative instructed them to drain the water from the soil, so the 10 women worked together to manually remove the water with shovels.
鈥�Due to climate change, we teach them in field schools how to deal with frost waves or extremely hot days. In case of any crisis, agricultural engineers accompany them to inspect the crops and care for the land,鈥� Gouda said.
Gujarat鈥檚 Hunger Games
Migrant workers' children between the ages 0 and 14 struggle to get basic nutrients. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme 鈥� a central scheme executed by state governments 鈥� aims to provide nutrition and health services for children under the age of six years and pregnant or breastfeeding women. This is executed through community-based anganwadis (community-based centres in India that provide integrated child development services, nutrition, healthcare, and education for young children and mothers).
One such ICDS scheme that several migrant women do not have access to is Mamta cards. The Mamta card, issued to pregnant and nursing mothers, is an ID for accessing maternal and child welfare services like nutrition, health check-ups, immunisation, and counselling. The card aids in tracking service usage, ensuring that eligible beneficiaries receive vital support for maternal and child health, including that of malnourished children. [...]
The families I interviewed had migrated from areas that were grossly affected by the climate crisis which snowballed into an agrarian crisis. Migrant workers in Gujarat did not use the term 鈥榗limate crisis鈥� but lamented about changing weather patterns and how untimely rains in their villages damaged their crops. According to an independent analysis by think-tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), as many as twenty-nine districts are exposed to extreme weather events like floods, cyclones and droughts.聽聽
Women of steel breaking barriers in solid waste management
For Khor Sue Yee, the founder of Zero Waste Malaysia, a non-profit body, the major challenge in the solid waste management issue is to ensure a gender balance in volunteering activities.
She said at her organisation itself, women volunteers are at the forefront of environment and climate change action compared to men, probably because women experience greater impact of climate change in their daily activities.