Gendered Response to Climate Change
Empowering women is the single most important way to ensure effective climate action. -Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Climate change affects us all. But does it affect us all equally? No. Every new disaster that strikes reinforces the already prevalent unequal social relations. The same is true when it comes to environmental degradation and climate change. Various academic studies and research suggest that women are more likely to face the adverse consequences of climate change and environmental degradation than men. While natural disasters adversely affect women more, droughts and water scarcity force women to travel to far-off places to fetch water. Since the problem before us is multidisciplinary, the answer to it will also be multidisciplinary and we need to understand that environment, climate change, sustainable development, and women empowerment are all inextricably interconnected and cannot be separated. If we need to fight the climate emergency, we cannot ignore a gendered response to climate change while formulating policies and envisioning a sustainable future for all.