One issue that will remain the subject of debate for years to come is climate change. In most of the conversations on climate — whether at the Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings or country-level discussions — the talk is about mitigation and adaptation, and that too in the most generic sense.

The connection between gender, social equity and climate change, or that women around the world are disproportionately impacted by climate change, is often ignored.

Climate change impacts women in myriad ways. When natural disasters strike, women are more likely to die or get injured, as they are less likely to have access to information and health services.

The changing climate is also leading to more frequent occurrences of vector-borne diseases, worsening maternal and neonatal health outcomes. Women who are pregnant or give birth during or in the aftermath of natural disasters have greater chances of suffering from pre-eclampsia (a serious blood pressure condition) and uterine bleeding, endangering their lives.

Climate change and related disasters also lead to displacement of people, 80 per cent of whom, according to the UN, are women.

Additionally, women who are at a socio-economic disadvantage to men, find it harder to recover from climate-related disasters and weather events and access climate relief funding. With such disasters and events becoming more frequent, these serve to create a vicious cycle that is nearly impossible to break out from.

Exposed to climate events

In the agriculture sector in India, women account for a significant share of the labour force and are often exposed to climate events such as heatwaves and droughts.

Similarly, in rural India, where access to water is limited, women walk long distances to collect water. This not only poses a health risk, but also compromises their safety and security.

The India Human Development Survey-2 reveals men spend half the time collecting water than women do. Unsurprisingly, when faced with displacement and migration due to climate, women end up doing more work, to the tune of 12-14 hours, as per the Climate Action Network.

Currently, even in the National Action Plans on Climate Change that States submit, the focus primarily is on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, use of technology, ecological sustainability, and the like. The gender dimension does not find a place.

The country’s policies, programmes, strategies, frameworks, interventions, and action plans must be gender sensitive, and they have to reflect the needs and voices of women and ensure that the changing climate does not further deepen the gender inequality in our society.

India is leading the LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) initiative globally. Women are best placed to be at the forefront of this movement. There can be no successful fight against climate change without a plan for women.

The writer is former Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Founder, Partnerships for Impact

Published on July 17, 2023