Save the 100%: Is Gender Equality the Solution to Climate Change?
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by anushka joshi If equality of the sexes was not enough to convince people why we should empower women, maybe saving planet Earth will.
Although every human on Earth will soon feel the effects of climate change, there is a discrepancy between the people who have contributed the most to climate change and the people who reap the largest consequences of climate change. China, the United States, and India emit close to 50% of global emissions each year, and the primary source of emissions is 72% energy––electricity and heat, manufacturing and construction, transportation, and fossil fuel consumption. These are the signs of a developed nation, perhaps the consequence of an overpopulated city. However, the people who are most affected by global warming are impoverished and rely on natural resources to survive. This group is broken down even further, as women make up the majority of the world’s poor. The people who can barely afford electricity are the ones who suffer from climate change the most. Climate change is a controversial conversation for many, and woven into it are narratives of gender inequality which create an even more difficult conversation. Climate change is a force that perpetuates gendered violence and continues to marginalize and oppress women. If women are supported in the ways that they have been begging for, such as through education and ownership of their bodies, perhaps it will save our climate. Although climate change has been examined through a scientific and economic lens, it is beneficial to approach it as a political and social problem too. Humanizing climate change allows for less mainstream solutions, and also exposes the far reach of existing problems like gendered violence and systemic sexism. Climate change affects 100% of people, but because of existing gender inequality, men and women experience climate change differently. Women in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to it because these women have fewer rights, less money, and fewer freedoms. In those moments of extreme loss, women are often hit the hardest. Women in developing countries are responsible for gathering and producing fuel, collecting water, and sourcing fuel for heating and cooking. They are dependent on the natural resources surrounding them, and with droughts and floods these tasks become more difficult. Women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change in situations of poverty and due to existing roles, responsibilities and cultural norms. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, “targeted investments in gender equality and women’s empowerment yield returns in environmental conservation, poverty alleviation, social policy and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By tackling climate change with a gender lens, women’s rights are also addressed, tackling rather than exacerbating existing gender inequalities.” Empowering women and combating climate change 15
