Climate change hits women hardest, but their leadership is key to resilience
Earth.org
Earth.org· 2 min read
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🗞️ Driving the news: Women are disproportionately affected by climate change, especially in rural and low-income communities, yet their leadership is critical for building resilience.
• Women often face heightened vulnerability to climate disasters due to structural inequalities, limited access to education, land, financial resources, and healthcare.
• At the same time, women—particularly Indigenous women—play a key role in climate adaptation, conservation, and sustainable practices.
🔭 The context: Climate change impacts are not gender-neutral
• Globally, women make up 70% of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty (UN Women).
• Rising temperatures, droughts, floods, and environmental degradation exacerbate the burdens on women, including longer walks for water, reduced food production, and higher mortality in disasters.
• Women also face heightened risks during climate-induced migration, including violence, exploitation, and loss of livelihoods.
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Empowering women strengthens climate resilience
• Women manage resources and drive sustainable practices, such as eco-friendly consumer choices and waste reduction.
• Countries with greater female representation in parliament tend to adopt stronger environmental policies.
• Initiatives like the Solar Mamas program in India train rural women in solar engineering, bringing renewable energy to off-grid communities and promoting local leadership in climate solutions.
⏭️ What's next: Addressing gender inequity is central to effective climate action
• Despite their critical role, women-led climate solutions are severely underfunded, with just 3% of global climate finance being gender-responsive (UNDP).
• Investing in women’s access to land, education, technology, clean energy, and leadership is both a justice and climate strategy, producing inclusive, community-rooted solutions.
💬 One quote: “Women are not just passive victims of climate change but powerful agents of adaptation and resilience, having the necessary talents essential to community resilience in rural areas.” — Adele Mutti, Earth.Org
📈 One stat: Women drive 70–80% of consumer purchasing decisions globally, influencing sustainable habits and climate-conscious policies
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