Women are disproportionately impacted by climate change as a result of social and gender inequalities, making them more vulnerable.

For many women, climate change means exposure to violence. For example, women and girls make more frequent and longer journeys to obtain food and water in periods of prolonged drought. this exposes them to gender-based violence.

In addition, some girls are forced to drop out of school in order to have more time to fetch water.

However, their vulnerability to climate change is obscuring one crucial point and it is the fact that they are an untapped resource in efforts to cope with climate change and mitigate emissions.

Yes. Women are uniquely positioned to help curb the harmful effects of climate change and this is because their intimate connection to the challenges that climate change throws at them better positions them to identify the most effective solutions.

Their local knowledge and leadership can help make the response to climate change more effective and sustainable. Yet, they are often excluded from climate-related planning, policy-making, and implementation.

How can climate responses be more effective and equitable when social dimensions such as gender are not addressed? For the fact that climate change is not gender-neutral, climate policies must connect to gender as well.

Gender-responsive, ecosystem-based, and community-driven approaches to climate change adaptation and resilience are needed if we’re really aiming to address the climate crisis.

It is very important to encourage women’s full participation at all levels of environmental and climate governance and work closely with them and their communities to ensure that it is done effectively and efficiently to work at all levels, locally and nationally, and to ensure that the experiences of women are introduced and addressed in national and international processes.

Also, since women often lack control over their own energy systems as well as over other natural resources, they can be trained at the community level to become entrepreneurs that will run their own local renewable energy and energy businesses. The primary goal within energy and resource democracy should be for communities, particularly women, to be empowered to make decisions over the use of local resources and the best way to fulfill their needs.

The same also goes for local women farmers who can play a vital role in the promotion of climate-resilient practices in agriculture if they get the needed support from authorities.