Written by: Admin_SheEvo
African women are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change. They have contributed the least to the crisis but will continue to experience most of the climate change impacts. These impacts vary from crop failures to water scarcity and conflict for natural resources. This aggravates existing socio-economic issues, such as poverty, food insecurity, poor health, and loss of livelihoods. This has also been proven to increase gender-based violence and limit their opportunities for education and economic empowerment. Despite this, African women are often leaders in their communities and actively work towards addressing these impacts through sustainable agriculture, water management, reforestation initiatives, environmental education and accessing climate justice grants. According to the UN, investing in women’s empowerment and gender-responsive climate action can increase the effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation efforts by 30%. Therefore, it is crucial to consider African women’s specific needs and perspectives in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Here are several calls to action to protect African women from climate change impacts:
- Invest in sustainable development and infrastructure projects that take into account the specific needs and perspectives of women.
- Increase women’s participation and leadership in climate change and sustainable development decision-making.
- Provide education and training opportunities for women in areas such as climate-resilient agriculture, water management, and renewable energy.
- Promote gender-responsive policies and programs that address women’s specific vulnerabilities and needs, such as providing support for women-led businesses and smallholder farmers.
- Increase funding and resources for programs and initiatives that support women’s empowerment and address the impacts of climate change.
- Increase awareness and understanding of how climate change disproportionately affects women and girls and the importance of addressing these issues.
- Promote and support community-based adaptation and mitigation strategies.
- Encourage the use of traditional knowledge and practices passed down through generations of African women.
Ultimately, it is important to recognize that protecting African women from the impacts of climate change requires a multifaceted and holistic approach that takes into account the complex intersection of gender, climate change, and development.
Source: Women, Gender Equality and Climate Change
Source: Explainer: Why women need to be at the heart of climate action
