Women & Climate Change

International Women’s Day, 2021
To Lead is to Serve — A Pacific Woman’s Perspective

By Leituala Kuiniselani Toelupe Tago-Elisara
An often quoted indigenous reference in the Samoan language is, O le ala i le pule o le tautua, literally translated, “the pathway to leadership is through service” because to be able to lead is to be willing to serve.

Q&A: COVID-19 has Pushed Women Peacebuilders from Key Leadership Roles

By Samira Sadeque
Women need to be given roles as negotiators, not just offered representation through advisory groups, Agnieszka Fal-Dutra Santos from the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) told IPS.

Harness Youth to Change World’s Future

By IPS International Desk
Vanessa Nakate of Uganda may have been cropped out of a photograph taken at the World Economic Forum, but she along with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg have made the climate crisis centre stage.

Women & Climate: Planting a Global Forest in a Connected World

By Rita Ann Wallace and Cynthia S Reyes
In January of this year, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, shocked much of the world when they announced they would be stepping down from their roles as senior royals.

An Ambitious Year for Climate Action Is a Big Year for Women’s Empowerment

By Frank Rijsberman and Ingvild Solvang
This year, the Paris Agreement’s effectiveness as a global response to the climate crisis is being tested as governments are preparing to submit more ambitious national targets for mitigation and adaptation.

Sticky Floors, Glass Ceilings & Biased Barriers: the Architecture of Gender Inequality

By Pedro Conceição
Architectural metaphors are a popular way to think about inequality between men and women. When it comes to the fundamentals, we often talk about whether there is a “sticky floor” that is holding women and girls back. And the good news is that, for billions around the world, the floor is a lot less sticky than it used to be.

Want to Go for Inclusive Climate Action? Then Start with Integrating Gender Equality into Climate Finance

By Verania Chao and Koh Miyaoi
Gender equality and women’s rights have progressed immensely since the adoption of the most visionary agenda on women’s empowerment, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 25 years ago.

Women in Climate Hot Spots Face Challenges Adapting

By Marty Logan
Women in Asia and Africa hardest hit by climate change have a tough time adapting to the climate emergency, even with support from family or the state, finds a new study. The results raise questions for global agreements designed to help people adapt to the climate emergency, it adds.  

Governments, Donors and Investors Must Put Their Money Where Their Mouths are on Gender and Climate Change

By Jemimah Njuki
Climate change has a disproportionate impact on women and girls. This is clear when it comes to water, for instance. The Global Commission on Adaptation Report launched at the United Nations General Assembly last week states that the number of people who may lack sufficient water, at least one month per year, will soar from 3.6 billion today to more than 5 billion by 2050.

Let’s Get Climate Action into Traction with Gender Equality

By Anita Bhatia and Ulrika Modéer
Climate change is already altering the face of our planet. Research shows that we need to put all our efforts over the coming decade to limit warming to 1.5°C and mitigate the catastrophic risks posed by increased droughts, floods, and extreme weather events.

The System, Youth and Democracy

By Roberto Savio
If we ever needed proof of how the political system has become self-referential and unable to update itself, the latest student march in more than 1,000 towns is a very good example.

Island Women Take the Lead in Peatland Restoration

By Stella Paul
Eluminada Roca has lived all her life next to the  Leyte Sab-a Basin peatlands. The grandmother from of San Isidro village in Philippines’ Leyte island grew up looking at the green hills that feed water to the peatland, she harvested tikog—a peatland grass to weave mats—and ate the delicious fish that was once in abundant in the waters. But today, the land is losing its water, the grass is disappearing and the fish stock has drastically decreased.

Smart Tech Will Only Work for Women When the Fundamentals for Its Uptake Are in Place

By Ibrahim Thiaw
Science and technology offer exciting pathways for rural women to tackle the challenges they face daily. Innovative solutions for rural women can, for example, reduce their workload, raise food production and increase their participation in the paid labour market. But even the very best innovative, gender-appropriate technology makes no sense without access to other critical resources, especially secure land rights, which women in rural areas need to flourish.

Gender Gap Made Worse by Land Degradation

By Desmond Brown
In parts of the world where the gender gap is already wide, land degradation places women and girls at even greater risk.

Decemberistan redux

By Rafia Zakaria
It is what happens in Karachi every December and extends sometimes to January or February but hardly ever to March. The sweltering heat abates, blossoms emerge in flowerbeds, the air is dry and cool, and the wedding venues are lit up like amusement parks (which they also are in a sense).

Why We Should Care about Vulnerable Coastal Communities

By Nigel Brett
According to UN statistics, approximately 40 per cent of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast, and overall the world’s coastal population is increasing faster than the total global population. At the same time, global warming is causing sea levels to rise and increasing extreme weather incidents on coastlines.

Africa Gains Momentum in Green Climate Solutions

By Sam Otieno
Promoting the widespread use of innovative technologies will be critical to combat the hostile effects of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and many African countries are already leading the way with science-based solutions.

DR Congo’s Mai-Ndombe Forest ‘Savaged’ As Landless Communities Struggle

By Issa Sikiti da Silva
Thousands of logs loaded into makeshift boats at the port of Inongo at Lake Mai-Ndombe stand ready to be transported to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Promoting Green Growth to Meet Global Aspirations for Gender Equality

By Frank Rijsberman
The world has seen tremendous economic growth over the last decades, which has led to poverty reduction and increased welfare for millions of people. Environmental sustainability and social inclusiveness are key to the resilience of these gains and continued growth. “Leaving no one behind” as we navigate a shift towards green economies must be woven throughout the growth and development agendas.

Combating Climate Change? Combat Land Degradation, Says UNCCD Chief

By Stella Paul
Land restoration is not a “glamorous subject even when you give all the numbers,” admits Monique Barbut, the Executive Secretary of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCCD). But she also stresses that by 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion. To feed that extra 2.4 billion, current food production would need to be increased by 75 percent.

A Cop Out at COP23?

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Despite a few victories, the UN’s annual climate change conference ended without achieving its goals or injecting a sense of much needed urgency.
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