Gender and the Climate Change Agenda

Gender and the Climate Change Agenda is a comprehensive new report by WEN. It examines the gendered impacts of climate change on women in the UK and internationally and why it is crucial to involve women in climate change solutions and policies. The report includes research and interviews from COP15 at Copenhagen and global case studies.

Key Messages:

  • Globally, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to different and unequal social roles and status.
  • Women contribute less to climate change, are impacted more by it, and have less say in decisions about the problem.
  • WEN is campaigning for gender and climate justice.
  • We believe that women need to be involved equally at all levels in order to achieve climate justice.

We need action on three fronts:

  • Gender-sensitive strategies to mitigate against climate change. It is essential that gender is taken into account in planning mitigation strategies.
  • Addressing gender inequality. The disproportionate impact of climate change on women is largely due to gender inequality. Gender equality is also likely to lead to better strategies to tackle climate change.
  • Gender-sensitive strategies for adapting to climate change. Given the specific impacts of climate change on women, it is vital that adaptation strategies adequately incorporate gender considerations.

The most effective way of ensuring that all three of the above priorities are met is increasing the representation of women in decision-making bodies, particularly at the national and international level. The UK Government should ensure gender equality in political representation, and in international negotiations on climate change, ensuring that all negotiators have a track record of promoting gender equality and equity and understand the intersection of gender and other inequalities.

Furthermore:

  • We would like the UK Government to play its part in the follow up to Copenhagen to ensure an equitable global deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep warming at or below 2C.
  • Introduce policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by 80% by 2050, at the same time reducing inequality.
  • Support and encourage practical solutions for sustainable living

Read more about these issues on our Women and Climate Change blog.