Save the 100%: Is Gender Equality the Solution to Climate Change?

Save the 100%: Is Gender Equality the Solution to Climate Change?

If equality of the sexes was not enough to convince people why we should empower women, maybe saving planet Earth will.

by Anushka Joshi

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 simultaneously can boil down to three distinct actions: by supporting women professionally, reproductively, and academically, the population will slow and greenhouse gas emissions will lower drastically.

As economies develop in poorer countries, men turn away from farming jobs leaving the women to take on agricultural labor. Wilkinson explains how as women are the primary farmers of the world, they produce 60-80% of food in lower-income countries. The crop is farmed on small plots that the women rarely own themselves. Women in these communities have fewer rights and freedoms than men. Most commonly they have restricted land rights, lack of access to financial resources, training and technology, and limited access to political decision-making spheres often prevent them from playing a full role in tackling climate change and other environmental challenges. Because these women also receive less education than men, they do not have the same farming education and training to yield crops effectively. The solution to the inefficiency in feeding the growing population is to clear more forest ground and utilize more land for farming. However, cutting down trees reduces the oxygen that absorbs greenhouse gases. Rather than clear-cutting, the proper solution is to help women farm more efficiently to reap 20-30% higher return on crops. The higher yield on crops is a more productive use of land but also provides the female farmers with money for healthcare, food, education, and financial independence. Supporting female farmers is not just a win for the climate and gender equality, but it could increase the agricultural output in these low-income countries by 2.5 to 4%, and reduce worldhunger by 12 to 17% (UNFCC). An investment in women and girls creates a ripple effect felt by entire communities and countries.

Another way to benefit women and the environment is to provide birth control. The fight for ownership over the female body runs deep throughout history, and even in the modern-day 21st Century, women do not have full control to make decisions regarding their bodies. If women were granted birth-control, rapid global population growth would be curbed immensely. By 2050 the population would be at about 9.7 billion, rather than the projected 10.7 billion (Business Green). A high birth rate usually signifies low life expectancy, low living standards, and low social and educational status for women. By slowing the birth rate it would not only tighten up the reigns on population growth, but it would improve the health of a country. Women's and children’s health, nutrition, and education make up the holy trinity to a healthy community, and by slowing population growth, it would allow for a more even distribution of resources across families.

Since women have to drop out of school at a young age because their bodies are not properly addressed in society, they miss out on yet another human right––education. Not only would keeping girls in school postpone their reproductive years and slow population growth as aforementioned, but it unlocks an untapped population of brainpower and opportunity. However, education has proved itself as a form of birth control too as explored through the southern Indian state of Kerala’s birth rate relationship to literacy levels. In India, 39% of girls aged 15 to 18 receive no education, but in Kerala, there is a 93% literacy rate among women which is similar to Australia. The high education rate correlates to a low birth rate, as families in Kerala have on average 1.7 children per couple, and the rest of India has 5.5 children per couple. The right to education leads to a bigger purpose and opportunity than just having a family. By supporting young women in the pursuit of education, it unleashes the knowledge and capability of women to contribute productively to society. It creates an opportunity for twice the brainpower to be present at the table, and to create climate change solutions that represent both men and women. The women in these communities that are not receiving a formal education have the knowledge and understanding of how to adapt to their changing climate solutions, yet their voices remain unheard. Women are agents of change in their communities and have the power to influence “agricultural supply chains, community behavior, and household spending” (Business Green). In their communities, women serve as decision-makers, stakeholders, educators, carers, and experts, and their contributions can lead to successful solutions to climate change with the right resources. Two brains are better than one.

The solutions presented to empower women are not specific to only solving climate change. The issues revolving education and control over the female body are long-standing issues, and the solutions presented work to alleviate those issues. The impact that these solutions have greatly benefit not only women and their communities, but the climate at large too. These issues through the lens of climate change are yet another reminder that issues relating to gendered violence are not limited to just women, but have a much larger impact that crosses over into different contexts. Climate change affects us all. It would be a mistake to leave half of the population out of the conversation. At the top, we need advocates for the voiceless women, and on the ground, we must lift women. From practice to policy, women need to be considered every step of the way. If equality of the sexes was not enough to convince people why we should empower women, maybe saving planet Earth will.