The climate change phenomenon refers to seasonal changes over a long period with respect to the growing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Climate change has its impacts on several field. On this day, celebrating women day, I am writing a report on how climate change is related with the gender issues.

You can read my report on Climate change and its impact on Nepalese Agriculture at https://kushalnaharki.wordpress.com/2017/08/14/climate-change-and-its-impact-on-nepalese-agriculture/

Climate Change Impacts on Small Landholding Farmer Of Nepal at https://kushalnaharki.wordpress.com/2018/11/01/climate-change-impacts-on-small-landholding-farmers-of-nepal/

March 8 is celebrated as International Women Day. The UN 2019 theme for International Women Day: Think equal, build smart, innovate for change focuses on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.

Climate Change Impacts Everyone, But Not Equally. Women and men are experiencing climate change differently, as gender inequalities persist around the world, affecting the ability of individuals and communities to adapt. Gender impacts of climate change have been identified as an issue requiring greater attention by the Commission on the Status of Women. Recognizing the important contributions of women as decision makers, stakeholders, educators, careers and experts across sectors and at all levels can lead to successful, long-term solutions to climate change. Women have proven to be leading the way towards more equitable and sustainable solutions to climate change.

Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 Gender Equality and Goal No. 13 Climate Action are interrelated. Women’s and men’s vulnerability to the impact of extreme climate events is determined not only by biology but also by differences in their social roles and responsibilities (Easterling, 2000; Wisner et al., 2004). Global negotiations have increasingly reflected the growing understanding of gender considerations in climate decision making over the last eight years. Continued progress towards gender equality at COP21 can help achieve successful climate action.

Across societies the impacts of climate change affect women and men differently. Women are often responsible for gathering and producing food, collecting water and sourcing fuel for heating and cooking. With climate change, these tasks are becoming more difficult. Extreme weather events such as droughts and floods have a greater impact on the poor and most vulnerable – 70% of the world’s poor are women.

Despite women being disproportionately affected by climate change, they play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Women have the knowledge and understanding of what is needed to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to come up with practical solutions. But they are still a largely untapped resource. 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. Unleashing the knowledge and capability of women represents an important opportunity to craft effective climate change solutions for the benefit of all. Climate change represents the most complex challenge of our time – it requires a concerted, proactive and holistic response. Gender inequality may dramatically limit the resilience and adaptive capacity of women, families and communities. It may also restrict options for climate change mitigation.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment is now a more obvious part of the intergovernmental negotiations under the Convention, with recent dedicated decisions such as 23/CP.18 (the Doha miracle) and 18/CP.20 (the Lima work programme on gender). Significantly, the Paris Agreement also includes language in its preamble on gender equality (and other human rights) – a first for Multilateral Environmental Agreements. Therefore, we can expect that work in this area will continue to grow and will find new ways to bring women where they should be: at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

Reference:https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/gender-and-climate-change