Gender Justice Is Climate Justice

However, the link between gender and climate has received little consideration until recent years. The impact of the climate crisis on water and food security has disproportionately affected those who have generally least contributed to climate change, that is to say the most vulnerable countries, especially from the Global South. As women form a high percentage of the poor, they are particularly impacted by the environmental crisis. 

A 2023 UNFPA study on countries most at risk highlights how the climate change impacts women and girls, by driving up maternal mortality, child marriage, adolescent birth rates, and gender-based violence. In conflict-affected areas, the climate crisis acts as a “threat multiplier”, intensifying social, political and economic pressures in already fragile contexts. In times of crisis, pre-existing gender inequality can be exacerbated, which leads to discrimination and sexual exploitation. 

The continuous exclusion of women and girls from leadership roles and disaster-response planning, as well as peace negotiations, provokes an ever-growing distance between their empowerment and the access to technology, information and innovation (UNEP).

Women and girls are the first care-givers and agricultural workforce in rural areas. Displacement and the lack of access to resources and information put them at greater risk of being disproportionately impacted by climate change (UN OCHA), as they would need to take care of the children. As a consequence of displacement for example, disrupted community and family structures, further limit women’s access to support networks and increase their vulnerability to violence showing the fade of traditional social safety nets.

Gender consideration has been slowly integrated in National Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Action Plans (NAPs). However, some studies have shown how from 120 countries, only 27% noted the importance of women’s participation in climate decision-making and the integration of gender in climate policies (UNDP, 2021).

The absence of gender justice means that women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including the rising frequency of natural disasters. This forward-looking approach is not equally supported by a strong language in some countries. Vulnerability and exposure arise not only from climate factors, but from the multidimensional inequality produced by an uneven development process. Socioeconomic inequalities have exacerbated women and girls’ exposure to environmental threats which are the result of colonial inheritance, conflicts and crises. 

International climate frameworks and discussions, such as the COP Summits, the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol have gradually adapted their mandates with a gender-responsive approach, but without including clear standards on this interconnection.

At present, as the 69th Commission on the Status of Women has placed gender inequality within the spin of climate change, the priorities are clear: empowering women to take a seat in decision-making and leadership positions, in peace negotiations processes through the enhancement of the Women Peace and Security Agenda, and put into place grievance and accountability mechanisms to ensure transparency and justice.

In conclusion, now more than ever, accelerating sustainable development requires embedding gender equality into climate action, shifting narratives, and strengthening commitments from governments, political leaders, international organizations, regional actors, and civil society. A fundamental role is played by international organizations and NGOs, especially involving young women’s perspectives to the tables and high-level discussions, as the Young Ambassador Society is doing, sharing empowering initiatives to encourage youth voices.

Achieving climate justice demands a collective effort: one that recognizes the shared responsibility of the international community and prioritizes inclusivity, equity, and resilience for a sustainable future, in order to “push back the pushback” (António Guterres).