Allow Women To Take Charge of Climate Change Policies

2014

Oct 3

On Sunday September 21 and Monday September 22, we witnessed the People’s Climate March and “Flood Wall Street” protests demanding climate change action. Although everyone is affected by this crisis, climate change effects are far greater on women compared to their male counterparts. Their struggles in dealing with climate change are not sufficiently acknowledged and taken into consideration by world leaders.

Reports show that women leave a smaller ecological footprint and cause less climate change in contrast to men. Studies have also proved that women are more environmentally conscious than men. If this is true, why do women suffer the most in climate change? In the words of Mary Robinson, President of the Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice, “climate change is a matter of justice. The richest countries caused the problem, but it is the world’s poorest who are already suffering from its effects.” Studies show that women represent a large share of the poor and are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

One way climate change affects women is through farming. Majority of small-scale farmers are women. Farming became more difficult due to climate change. Crop failures occur often, which means more work and their families eat less. When resources become scarce, women in poor communities must take long trips to find the resources. These long trips put women at risk of violence.

For an issue that has a greater effect on women, a resolution to the matter is to include more female leaders in policy and decision-making on climate change. They have first-hand experience and can use their knowledge to create solutions for the matter, such as how they are adjusting to the changes.

In order to find an efficient and lasting solution to climate change, women’s crucial role on the issue must be recognized. Mary Robinson stresses that the “value of women as drivers of economic growth – as educators, careers, farmers, entrepreneurs and as above all, leaders” should be recognized. There is a lack of female representation in our society and decision-making policies. If women are not involved in the climate change discussion, how would we know that these policies don’t ignore women’s struggles?

Despite all this, there are women who are taking matters in their own hands in order to combat climate change. There are already female-led organizations that are tackling the issue by helping women who are facing the effects. For example, the Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative deals with climate change and provides income for women by teaching them how to build and sell bamboo bicycles.

The importance of gender in climate change cannot be ignored. There is plenty of data proving that women suffer most due to climate change effects, despite the fact that they have a lesser impact on the environment. Without female leaders in climate change decision-making, women should be encouraged to speak out against the injustice they face and demand to be taken into consideration on this topic. Everyone’s future is at stake. All people, including women, have the right and duty to combat climate change.