Human activity has led, in recent years, to a dazzling acceleration of climate change and its repercussions, generating an increase in environmental issues such as the reduction of resources and the disappearance of territories. As a consequence of this phenomenon, we will be able to observe, over the next few years, a marked increase in the disruption of peace and security.
Posted at 2:00 p.m.
Everyone will be affected in one way or another by these issues. However, it is women who will suffer the most, since they are much more vulnerable to climate change. A fact that is too often ignored and forgotten.
In fact, women are much more vulnerable than men to the effects of climate change and they are, by extension, much more vulnerable than men to the resulting security issues.
Several factors may explain this vulnerability. One of the main ones lies in the fact that women represent the majority of the poor in the world, in addition to being much more dependent on natural resources which are becoming scarcer.
Another important factor stems from the social role of women and cultural norms. The responsibilities related to the social role, in which we have confined women, prevent them from having access to resources in the same way as men. Their vulnerability to climate change is therefore increased.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) highlights five security-related effects that climate change can have on women. There is the increase in gender-based violence, such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, genital mutation, and then trafficking and sexual exploitation. There is also an increase in forced child marriages, stillbirths and difficult maternal and neonatal events. Then, the disruption of sexual and reproductive health.
Gender-neutral solutions, unresolved issues
Since the appearance of the problem of climate change, the international scene has established a panoply of measures in an attempt to curb, or at least limit, its impacts. Among these measures we can note, among others, the founding of bodies and organizations, such as the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the adoption of various treaties, such as the Paris Agreement , and the publication of reports, such as those issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
However, despite these measures, we can see that climate change is only getting worse over the years and that not everyone is affected in the same way.
We therefore come to ask ourselves why these measures are not effective. But, more specifically, why don’t they take into account the gender dimension, which is an extremely important variable, in this issue.
The lack of a gender dimension in measures against climate change greatly diminishes their effectiveness. This is why we absolutely must integrate the gender perspective through the empowerment of women and gender equality, for example.
In short, climate change is one of the greatest issues facing our generation. Women, largely forgotten by this problem, are much more vulnerable than men in the face of climate change due, in particular, to the increase in existing gender inequalities. Moreover, the measures established to counter this problem do not include a gender dimension, which makes them totally ineffective. Hence the urgency of including this perspective in order to limit future consequences as much as possible.