As climate changes worldwide, natural hazards are expected to increase, and the effects of climate change are not gender-neutral.
Studies have shown that women, children and elderly people are more prone to being casualties of climate disasters. Women and girls are 14 times more likely to die than men during natural disasters, according to The Journal. Incidents of assault and unwanted pregnancies amongst adolescent girls also increase significantly after climate emergencies. The rate of pregnancies tripled (compared to the average urban rate) in the refugee camps of Haiti. Rates of prostitution also spiked after an earthquake hit the country. Sexual and domestic violence against women also increases in areas hit by disasters.
Research has also shown that girls are more likely to drop out of school and be forced into domestic work during emergencies. The unequal burden of unpaid work also worsens during climate disasters. Women have to travel long distances to get food and water after natural disasters, and the lack of clean water causes women to struggle with their menstrual hygiene during those times. Even the rate of child marriages increases in rural areas after disasters, as more rural families face economic difficulties and scarcity of food and are more prone to marry off their girls to lessen the imminent financial burden.
Even though women are more vulnerable to climate change disasters, their issues are not actively advocated in climate change policy discussions. International organisations and governments are more focused on carbon reduction measures to tackle climate change but need to pay more attention to allocating more resources and training vulnerable groups in adapting more resilient measures to tackle emergencies.
Bangladesh’s climate change and gender action plan
Bangladesh has been ranked the 7th most disaster-prone country in the world- as per the Global Climate Risk Index. Increased sea level rise, tropical floods and cyclones are disrupting the lives of the people in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, and these natural disasters are disproportionately affecting women more than men. Mainly because of the stereotyped gender-specific roles and perceived social norms, women are earning less than men in agricultural, forestry and energy sectors, even though policies and action plans related to climate change have been developed considering the gender perspective.
Vision 2041, the Eighth Five Year Plan (EFYP) 2020–25, the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), 2009, and the Climate Change and Gender Action Plan (BCCGAP) 2013, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan Decade 2030 are the policies and transformative strategy taken up by Bangladesh government to support gender equality and make climate activities more advantageous for women. Primary education of women has increased by 51% over the last 50 years, female-led farmer groups are being formed in villages, and ICCCAD (International Centre for Climate Change and Development) has developed a gender program SAKTEE, along with UN Women and Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, to identify the best practices in disaster and climate resilience for women and young girls. The project also aims to educate the women and youth about the technical know-how to combat disaster-related risks.
However, the implementation of gender equality remains a challenge- according to the report by UN Women and IUCN in 2022 on ‘State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in Bangladesh’ and the report recommends the following-
■ More capacity building is needed amongst policymakers and women’s rights organisations to allow more women to come up in leadership and decision-making positions in climate change-related initiatives.
■ increased collaboration is required among local governments, gender specialists and climate change experts working on climate actions to design better action plans
■ Deep-dive research is needed at every point of gender integration at local and national levels across regions to find gaps in any policy and showcase the community-based best practices
Nevertheless, Bangladesh Bank is also trying to lessen gender inequality to tackle climate change through financial institutions by adopting Sustainable-linked Financing programs. The Gender Equality indexed loan for DBL Group has been the focus of the first-ever Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL) in Bangladesh, which HSBC Bangladesh arranged. As stated by an official of the leading multinational bank, “Under this loan agreement, the interest rates will be reduced if the performance target to raise the percentage of female supervisors and lower greenhouse gas emissions is met.”
Thus, Gender inclusion through investing in climate change initiatives and reaching gender parity is paramount to achieving climate justice more effectively. UNFCCC states that “Climate-related projects and policies that involve women have proven to be more effective in natural ecosystems like the Arctic and the Amazon.” Even the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that reaching gender equality in agriculture might result in a 20–30% boost in women’s farm productivity. The ensuing efficiency gains might reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2.1 gigatonnes by 2050 and reduce world hunger by at least 12–15%.
Although initiatives are being taken at national and global levels, upcoming international summits, like COP28 and G20 summit, will need to prioritise the social impacts of climate change and also ensure the active participation of women and vulnerable groups in climate initiatives in the developing and developed world. The forthcoming world conferences also need to address the necessity for more women’s access to natural resources, education and formal decision-making roles to achieve climate resilience at the mass level.
Author- Anika Tahsin Lisa
