Women, girls, and marginalized communities must be involved in the design and implementation of climate response actions to ensure the equitable distribution of benefits.
Women's participation in decision-making processes is critical to effective climate action because they have unique knowledge and experience, particularly at the local level. Participation of women in natural resource management is associated with improved resource governance and conservation outcomes at the local level.
Increasing women's access to productive resources can boost agricultural production and food security while also lowering carbon dioxide emissions.
Women's leadership in the workplace is associated with increased transparency about climate impact. Higher percentages of women on corporate boards are associated with greater disclosure of carbon emissions data.
Effective collective action to combat climate change will necessitate significant changes in how we produce and measure economic value. The transition away from extractivist practices and fossil-fuel economies presents an opportunity to create new jobs and reskill female workers. Increasing investment in the care sector is an efficient way to shift the focus to collective well-being and strengthen economies while reducing emissions.
What does it mean to prioritize gender equality in climate solutions?
Gender equality at the heart of climate change solutions entails incorporating diverse gender perspectives into comprehensive and long-term climate, environmental, and disaster risk reduction policies and programs.
The full and equal participation of women and girls in decision-making processes is a top priority in the fight against climate change. Without gender equality today, a more equal and sustainable future is out of reach.
In the Ecuadorian Andes' páramo ecosystem, indigenous women are using sustainable agricultural production and landscape management to rehabilitate the fragile ecosystem after years of desertification and overgrazing left large swaths of land barren and depleted. [1]Women-led efforts are also dismantling gender stereotypes and empowering women to participate in community decision-making processes. The páramo project demonstrates that without women, it is impossible to discuss climate change and sustainable development solutions.
Finally, climate solutions must be funded in a gender-responsive manner.
To ensure a more sustainable future, there has to be invested in technologies that improve renewable and clean energy sources, as well as encourage women's participation in their development and use.
What can be done to help women take action on climate change?
The magnitude and scope of climate change impacts can be overwhelming, but words and actions can have a real impact in a community.
- donating to local women-led organizations, businesses, and cooperatives fighting climate change.
- vote to hold leaders accountable and to push for commitments that will result in a more equitable and long-lasting future.
The planet is in danger. Unsustainable production and consumption practices put the entire human race at risk, from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to the overuse of the planet's natural resources. Women are change agents who must equally contribute to the answer for a sustainable future, whether they be pioneers in green energy, first responders in emergencies, or domestic decision-makers.
More information: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/03/explainer-why-women-need-to-be-at-the-heart-of-climate-action