Why it is necessary to read the climate emergency from a gender perspective

The critical role of women in a climate emergency context involves recognizing their dedication to caring for people and cohesion and their vulnerability, among many other cases, both in developed and developing countries. The context is more critical in countries in economic development, because poverty, lack of access to international and national sources of financing, the fact of not owning agricultural land and the perpetuation of non-respectful ways of doing things (to quote some causes) complicate the situation.

The consequences of climate change make the daily lives of women more complex, which, in itself, is already vulnerable and sensitive.

The consequences of climate change, therefore, make women's daily lives more complex, which in itself is vulnerable and sensitive: “in a population that is already vulnerable, extreme episodes such as heat waves and hurricanes add a layer of problems,” in the words of Alicia Pérez-Porro, scientific coordinator of CREAF. An example is the figures from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the deadliest tropical cyclone in the history of the United States, where many women died due to not knowing how to swim and prioritizing childcare before their own when fleeing.

This is the starting point of the recent round table 'Women and global warming: a gender perspective on the climate emergency', organized by the media elDiario.es in collaboration with Acciona. In addition to Pérez-Porro, Mar Gómez –meteorologist and scientific communicator– and Marga López Rivas –researcher at the University of Cádiz and professor at the Marta Abreu de Villas University of Cuba– participated in an event moderated by Marta García, world president of WWCOTY.

The necessary guarantee of education for girls, scientific studies that link heat with violent reaction towards women, migratory movements due to high temperatures and the financial contribution from the north to the south are some aspects that are shared in the conversation. . The context of much of the debate is scientific evidence, which emphasizes aspects associated with the climate emergency such as the preservation of biodiversity and the necessary awareness that we are not the only species on Earth. "We must go to vote taking into account that the problem does not only affect the human species, but that we are the only one that can vote and choose political representation committed to acting", explains Alicia Pérez-Porro.

Migrations and financing

More than 216 million people could move within their countries to 6 regions of the world by 2050, according to the latest edition of the World Bank's Groundswell report.

More than 216 million people could move within their countries to 6 regions of the world in 2050, according to the latest edition of the World Bank's Groundswell report series. An aspect that Marga López Rivas largely links to global warming, apart from war conflicts, and which once again has a relevant gender bias. “In the most disadvantaged areas of the planet, women face their own subsistence every day on lands of low fertility and scarce water resources. Traditionally, they are in charge of collecting water and supplying it to the town, but the task is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of the severe droughts.”

For her part, meteorologist Mar Gómez states that "female vulnerability will grow as resources decrease" and that "the situation can worsen depending on the decisions we make today. Although we eliminate fossil fuels from one day to the next, “the temperature will continue to rise".

“We must vote bearing in mind that the problem does not affect only the human species, but that we are the only species that can vote and choose political representation committed to act."

ALICIA PÉREZ-PORRO, CREAF's scientific coordinator.

One of the milestones of the 2024 United Nations Climate Summit (COP29) to be held in November 2024 in Azerbaijan is to boost financial resources and political will. "The initial fund of 100 billion dollars must be increased to address the most urgent actions in countries without resources," says Alicia Pérez-Porro.

The three speakers agree that political action already relies on information from science, with examples such as the recent working group of 50 scientific voices announced by the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, apart from instruments such as the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the reports of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Groundwell report of the World Bank, among many others.