On November 26, 2024, CARE Belgium hosted its first advocacy event as part of the CARE International global campaign ‘CLIMATE CHANGE IS SEXIST” highlighting the impact climate change has on already existing gender inequalities.
The event, moderated by journalist Solène Ducretot, took place at the cultural institution, Cinéma Flagey for an evening bringing together climate advocates, civil society representatives, activists, international organizations and policymakers to discuss the intersection of gender and climate action.
The panelists (Marie Leroy, Climate Expert at CARE France, Dr. María Martín de Almagro, research professor University of Ghent and Sophie Rohonyi, president of a political party and president of the council of French-speaking women) discussed the disproportionate impact climate change has on women, especially in the Global South, and the importance of their inclusion in climate action and initiatives in order to bring about more effective, equitable and sustainable solutions.
The event closed with the film screening of Amazonia: The Heart of Mother Earth, co-produced by Gert-Peter Bruch and Princess Esmeralda of Belgium, CARE Belgium’s Honorary President.
How does climate change impact women and girls?
The event highlighted the critical need to address the intersection between climate change and gender inequality. Climate change amplifies existing gender inequalities, and women, particularly in vulnerable communities, often face the most severe consequences. Droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising temperatures affect women in particular; they are the first to go without food in the event of drought or famine, and walk miles every day to fetch water and provide for their families. During periods of instability caused by climate change, there is a clear increase in gender-based violence. For example, during crises, girls are often exposed to forced marriages.
An important aspect of vulnerability for women is their limited access to, and control over, resources such as water, land, and credit. This vulnerability is particularly pronounced in rural areas, where women often have to rely on subsistence agriculture for their families’ survival. Lastly, women represent the vast majority of victims of climate-related disasters as they often do not know how to swim, have to look after children and the elderly and/or they have not received information about alert thresholds and evacuation plans.
The panelists successfully explained the need for a more inclusive approach to climate action — one that listens to and includes the voices of women, ensuring that climate solutions are both sustainable and inclusive of society as a whole.
How can women and girls become actors of change?
While women are among those most affected by climate change, it is crucial to recognize their power in becoming agents of change. Rather than being seen only as victims, women’s roles as leaders, decision-makers, and active participants in climate solutions were highlighted during the event.
Our teams at CARE notices that around the world: women are often the first guardians of natural resources, sharing and passing on knowledge to their communities and families. They often design and implement innovative, effective and low-cost solutions. Nevertheless, they often face numerous obstacles that prevent them from fully deploying this potential: lower levels of education, lack of access to information on climate change, exclusion from savings and credit systems for female entrepreneurs, etc.
Marie Leroy, emphasized the importance of building the skills of women and marginalized groups through both technical training (such as climate-resilient agricultural practices) and confidence-building initiatives (such as leadership and negotiation skills). The project She Grows the Future, for instance, established agroecology schools in Ecuador, Madagascar, Vietnam and India, providing training on climate change, gender-specific vulnerabilities, and sustainable agricultural practices. Thus empowering over 5,000 women farmers to diversify their sources of income, adapt their farming techniques and network to influence local public policies. This project is very much in line with the ecofeminist philosophy that places women at the heart of innovative solutions for adapting to climate change.
Why should women in particular be included in the decision process?
Women make up half of the world’s population. We must ensure gender-equitable and inclusive climate initiatives to ensure that all those affected by climate change have a voice in shaping solutions. It is essential not only to include women but to ensure their meaningful and equitable participation in the entire climate action process, from design to implementation and evaluation.
Dr. Maria Martin de Almagro stressed that women have historically led many environmental movements, often prioritizing social and ecological well-being over economic growth. Their leadership has contributed to more holistic, long-term solutions to environmental issues. Women often excel in grassroots organizations, where they lead local efforts to address climate change, such as community-based networks offering microcredit and agricultural training.
Women farmers for instance have developed important knowledge and strategies for coping with and adapting to climate change, such as using drought-resistant seeds, applying sustainable farming practices, and leading community-based efforts in reforestation. Indigenous women, in particular, bring invaluable traditional knowledge that has helped conserve biodiversity and manage natural resources in ways that are in harmony with nature.
Unfortunately, women continue to be vastly under-represented in climate negotiation bodies, both at the local and international levels. For example, at COP29 in Baku, of the 78 heads of state represented, only 8 were women—just over 10%. This gender imbalance extends beyond global summits, with women holding only 26% of parliamentary seats worldwide as of 2022. While progress is being made, it is slow, and the pace of change is not nearly fast enough to meet the demands of climate justice.
This issue is not isolated to international climate summits. Only 11% of Belgian ambassadors are women as mentioned by Sophie Rohonyi. Even within countries where there is some gender representation, women’s leadership in climate diplomacy and decision-making is still limited. The situation underscores a broader issue: while women are sometimes included in decision-making processes, they are not equally represented or empowered to lead.
Women’s proposals and contributions are often ignored or dismissed due to gender bias, which undermines their ability to influence decisions as noted in CARE’s new report “Beyond a Seat at the Table: Pathways for gender-equitable participation in climate adaptation decision-making”. True inclusion requires more than just having women at the table; it requires giving them equal voice and influence in shaping climate policies and actions.
However, we must beware of the double-edged sword adding responsibilities to women without having them either have the resources (material, time, social capital) to carry out the tasks for instance programs have been put in place where women were trained to become conflict mediators in their communities in contexts where they did not have the necessary resources.
What is the role of advocacy?
Dr. Maria Martin de Almago stressed the crucial need of advocacy efforts in pushing ambitious climate action. We must also ensure that climate finance reaches those most affected by climate change, particularly women-led organizations. While many grassroots women’s organizations are actively fighting climate change, less than 1% of international climate funding is directed to initiatives led by women.
CARE advocates for gender-transformative climate policies, conducting research and pushing for climate finance that addresses gender inequality.
We must challenge discriminatory gender norms through community engagement. By involving men and boys in gender dialogues. Societal attitudes need to be shifted towards women’s roles in both climate action and decision-making processes.
Sources:
CARE (2024) Beyond a Seat at the Table: Pathways for gender-equitable participation in climate adaptation decision-making https://www.carefrance.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/CARE-SEI-Gender-Climate-Report.pdf
CARE’s Climate Change is Sexist Campaign: https://www.care.org/news-and-stories/six-ways-climate-change-is-sexist-and-what-you-can-do-to-fight-it/
She Grows the Future project: https://www.carefrance.org/projets/agriculture-changement-climatique-aide