Climate change hits women the hardest: report

The Hindu - India's National Newspaper
03 December - Staff reporter

NEW DELHI: “Women pay the highest price for climate change as the world fails to adapt. International efforts to help poor women — the world’s most vulnerable — to adapt to climate change will fail unless urgent action is taken,” states a joint report released recently by the international anti-poverty agency Action Aid and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS).

Raman Mehta, who leads Action Aid’s work on climate change in India, said: “Women are hit hardest by climate change because they have fewer means to be able to adapt and prepare for extreme weather conditions made worse by climate change.”

Citing an example from the flood affected regions in the country, Mr. Mehta said: “During our flood rescue operations in the Muzzafarpur district of Bihar this year, we noted that women were bearing the brunt of the adverse conditions. The reasons are many, under economic stress, women have to handle everything. With husbands sometimes migrating for work, they end up facing the challenges alone.” The report also indicates how poor women struggle to cope with the impact of global warming and presents first-hand testimonies on what they think adaptation funds should be spent on. The report urges governments to give women, who are on the frontline of climate change, an equal say in adaptation financing to ensure funds support poor women.

“Our research shows that although poor women are one of the groups most affected by climate change, they also have clear priorities for adaptation – for example having a safe place to store harvest and livestock during the monsoon season,” said Tom Mitchell, research fellow at the Institute for Development Studies. “For adaptation funding to be effective it is crucial that poor women’s needs are reflected in policies and interventions for adaptation to climate change.”