Why now?

The challenge

Climate change has disproportionate consequences and negative effects on the African continent, despite the region emitting less than 4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. The climate crisis undermines Africa’s hard-won development gains as it deepens cycles of poverty, fragility, and vulnerability. Given that 71% of climate finance is through loans while 26% is through grants (OECD 2020), developing countries are increasing their debt to address the impacts of climate change while developed countries, who bear a greater share of responsibility for climate change, receive the interest from these loans.

Women are disproportionately impacted by climate change due to existing socio-economic inequalities and cultural norms. Here are the facts:

• Poor women and children are up to 14 times more likely to be killed than men by a climate-fuelled disaster, such as a hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, or flood (UN Women 2018). The spread of vector-borne illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus are linked to worse maternal and neonatal outcomes (UN Women 2022). 

• By increasing competition for natural resources, climate change can increase the risk of conflicts and gender-based violence (IUCN 2020). 

• Eighty percent of people displaced by climate change are women (UNEP). In transit and in refugee camps, rates of teen pregnancy and child, early and forced marriage are likely to increase (CARE 2020).

• Indigenous People, who safeguard an estimated 80% of the world’s biodiversity, face particularly great challenges as they depend on nature for their livelihoods. 

• In the aftermath of a climate-related disaster, women and girls are less able to access relief and assistance, further threatening their livelihoods, well-being and recovery, and creating a vicious cycle of vulnerability to future disasters (UN Women 2022).

• Climate change research also suffers from gender inequalities. A study by Carbon Brief found that of 1,300 authors and the 100 papers published from 2016-2020, a mere 1% were based in Africa and only 12 papers had female lead authors (Forbes 2021). 

• A review of news articles about climate change written by and/or quoting women showed that women hold only 28% of the share of voice in news (Oxfam). 

• In countries that contribute the most to green innovation, such as Japan, the United States and Germany (OECD 2017, Green Growth Indicators), women’s participation rates in developing green inventions is less than 10% (OECD 2020).

Climate change adaptation strategies being implemented by African Heads of State are not sufficiently gender-transformative. Decision-makers and leaders typically include fewer women than men, mirroring the global trend where 21% of government ministers are women, hampering our ability to develop optimal adaptation strategies. While 95% of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), countries' self-defined national climate pledges under the Paris Agreement make reference to gender, only 52% of NDCs include gender-responsive adaptation measures (UNDP 2023).

Women are still insufficiently considered in the design, implementation and monitoring of climate change adaptation interventions. Data around gender and the environment is needed to understand gender inequalities and monitor policy and program progress, but it remains scarce. For example, few environment indicators across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are gender-relevant, and no globally agreed data framework to monitor gender and climate change currently exists.