Women Are Key to Climate Action
Women and girls face disproportionate impacts from climate change. They are also driving climate solutions at all levels.
By the United Nations
UN Department of Global Communications, CCOD, Climate Section
Climate change disproportionately impacts women & girls
Climate impacts exacerbate existing inequalities and pose unique threats to the livelihoods, health, and safety of women and girls.
Women & girls are more vulnerable to climate shocks
This is largely due to their high representation among the world’s poor – 1 out 10 women lives in extreme poverty – and because they often rely heavily on local natural resources for their livelihoods.
Flooding in Bangladesh (2019) by UN Women ECAthe United Nations
Extreme weather & disasters are deadlier for women & girls
When extreme weather and climate-related disasters hit, women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men, mostly due to limited access to information, limited mobility, decision-making, and resources. Of those displaced by climate change, 80% are women and girls.
When disasters hit, women take on additional burdens
Women carry out 75% of unpaid domestic work and are often responsible for securing food, water, and firewood. In drought or erratic rainfall they must travel longer distances, increasing risks of violence. Girls also often have to leave school to help their mothers manage the burden.
Woman at farm, Jappineh, Gambia (2018) by UNEPthe United Nations
Women are responsible for half of global food production
In the Gambia, where women make up over 70% of the agricultural workforce, UN Environment and partners are supporting communities to adapt to climate change by helping them understand the increasingly unpredictable weather and adjust their planting times and seed varieties.
In developing countries, women produce up to 80% of food
Women have learned how to cope with and adapt to climate change, for example by practicing sustainable agriculture, switching to drought-resistant seeds, employing low-impact or organic soil management, or leading community-based reforestation and restoration efforts.
Training with FAO's Farmer Field School, women in Nepal, like Gita Adikhari, are adapting to climate impacts by learning more effective and sustainable agricultural techniques. Thanks to these efforts, 11.48 million tons of CO2 equivalent are expected to be cut over the next 20 years.
Solar Water Pump (2014) by IWMI/Prashanth Vishwanathanthe United Nations
Equal access for women could increase farm yields by 30%
Giving women equal access to productive resources could increase farm yields by up to 30%. This could feed an additional 150 million people and reduce the pressure to cut down trees for more agricultural land – a major driver of climate change.
Women are uniquely situated to be agents of change
Women are at the frontlines of climate change and possess invaluable knowledge and experience. Yet their historic and current unequal participation in decision-making processes and labor markets compound inequalities and prevent women from fully contributing to climate solutions.
Women World Leaders at COP26 (2021) by Scottish Government with a free licensethe United Nations
Only 55 national climate plans specifically reference gender equality and only 23 recognize the role of women in climate action.
Climate action is stronger when it is gender-inclusive
Evidence shows that women’s representation in national parliaments leads to the adoption of more stringent climate policies, resulting in lower emissions. In business, gender-diverse firms tend to have better environmental reporting and climate governance.
Indigenous peoples day (2016) by UN Photo/Rick Bajornasthe United Nations
Indigenous women are at the forefront of conservation
Indigenous women contribute valuable ancestral knowledge and practices that build resilience in a changing climate, for example by preserving biodiversity and seed varieties, protecting pollinators and bee populations, using natural soil building and fertilization methods, or leaving forests intact.
SDG Gallery Saint Lucia (2018) by UN Barbados and the Eastern Caribbeanthe United Nations
Some countries are already leading the way for gender-responsive climate action. St. Lucia has been working to collect data to ensure its impacts on gender are taken into account in its climate policy and planning.
Philippines Circular Economy (2022) by UNDP Philippines/Jilson Tiuthe United Nations
While the Philippines has taken a number of steps including adopting the Climate Change Act, which mandates gender mainstreaming in climate change policies, programs and projects.
Women's involvement in decision-making is critical
Having women actively involved in decision-making is critical to recovery and reconstruction efforts. Fully utilizing women’s capacities, knowledge, and skills when preparing for and recovering from disasters can help identify disaster risks and build security for communities.
Women can drive change across sectors
In wealthier societies, women drive up to 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions and are more likely to make climate-friendly choices, like recycling or conserving water and energy. They are leaders in behavior change and the transition to more sustainable lifestyles.
Students in Taliko Neighbourhood, Bamako (2015) by UN Photo/Marco Dorminothe United Nations
It's time to recognize and empower women as climate leaders
There must be a collective global effort from leaders in government, finance, business, civil society and local communities for gender inclusion. Without equal participation, representation and leadership, climate action will continue to exclude women's needs and undermine their rights.
#ActNow: Fight climate change by empowering women and girls
Everyday life is full of opportunities to advance gender equality and fight the climate crisis. Take action and speak up for more women in climate leadership and policy-making at every level and in every sector. There is power in every action, especially when we act together.
Mother Nature
Learn more about the different ways climate change impacts the lives of women around the world in Mother Nature - an experiment created by Google Arts & Culture in collaboration with Earthrise and photojournalist Lynsey Addario, in support of the UN's ActNow campaign. Explore the data and the stories here.
Learn more about the interconnection between gender inequality and climate change, visit the UN Climate Action website and take action for a more inclusive and sustainable future for all with the UN ActNow Campaign.
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