Climate Change and Gender Equality - UN Report

Did you know that “women farmers currently account for 45-80 per cent of all food production in developing countries depending on the region?” According to this United Nations report, women in poor countries are front-and-center when it comes to farming, acquiring energy resources and even (or rather, especially) fetching water. Women and girls spend countless hours on these activities – hours that could otherwise be spent on education, business development or political activities. Because these women are spending so much of their time trying to survive, they are unable to become involved in key decision making processes – that is to say, they spend all of their time fetching water, so they have no time to lobby for innovative solutions that would bring clean water closer to their homes. Women are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change but, as this document points out, they are also a key resource for creating solutions to the problems they face each day. They’re not victims – they are educators and influencers in waiting…they don’t want charity – they want opportunity.

"Women form a disproportionately large share of the poor in countries all over the world. Women in rural areas in developing countries are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood, because of their responsibility to secure water, food and energy for cooking and heating. The effects of climate change, including drought, uncertain rainfall and deforestation, make it harder to secure these resources. By comparison with men in poor countries, women face historical disadvantages, which include limited access to decision-making and economic assets that compound the challenges of climate change."Read More