How Does Climate Change Fall Heavy on Women- Part 3
The economic empowerment of women and closing the gender disparity play a vital role in combating the climatic variations and becoming more considerate to nature. Not only does it help women, but it also narrows down the cycle of poverty and precarity for all. It fosters the economic growth of countries, keeps climate and environmental problems in check, and augments the potential for adaptation to climate change, which benefits men, women, kids, and animals. Ideas to enable women are:
- Lend them credit
- Let them own properties
- Give them access to resources
The food and agriculture technology companies raised a record of $ 16.9 billion, yet records showed only 4 percent of those startups were founded by female founders. According to AgFunder, a San Francisco-based online investment platform
“ If women farmers had the same access to resources as men, they could increase yields by 20% to 30%, the UN Food, and Agriculture Organization” AgFunder
Lending easy access credit will make it easier for women to recover from the after-effects of the devastation of environmental challenges. However, women work in small enterprises and small startups, which makes meeting the criteria to lend credit impossible.
Research has long established that women who own property land on which they cultivate yield better results. Globally women make up 43 percent of the labor force in agriculture, but less than 20 percent hold the land property.
Green Economy, COP-26, and women
While ‘NetZero’ is a buzzword, on the front of energy-saving, combating the reversing climate challenges, and creating a green economy, women are untapped resources.
Netzero, green cement, and mining are the agenda of COP 26. The solution lies in transitioning towards a green economy. The green economy is women-friendly in many ways. Therefore, women’s participation is an essential pillar that unfolds solutions to other big environmental, economic, and social challenges.
Sectors involving natural resources such as agriculture, forestry, livestock, and energy are the major focus of the transition to the green economy. Given women’s high participation and knowledge in this sector, women’s representation is required in the design of the solutions.
“women have a smaller footprint than men, and they make green decisions at the household level.” The Swedish Government Report
Uganda’s initiative by Kinawataka Women’s Development is a case in point. The organization recycled plastic straws, bags, and other non-biodegradable materials. The women made useful items from those waste products such as bags, earrings, belts, mats, etc.
‘Women are producers, workers, and potential participants in the green labor force.’
Women contribute directly to climate mitigation. Since women have long been involved in agriculture, movements like Chipko and the GBM manifest how women are a valuable source for conservation, reforestation, and afforestation. Separating biochar from the waste is another process of bringing down the CO2 levels. Furthermore, women are an untapped effective resource to tackle the emissions caused by deforestation, which helps the sequestration of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Starting from energy-saving and using eco-friendly energy resources optimizes the solution from three fronts; reduces harshness on the environment, creates jobs, and empowers women. The Grameen Shakti (GS) microloan initiative is the best-known example of it. It helped install 100,000 solar home systems in rural communities of Bangladesh.
Certain points are essential to enhance the adaptive capacity of women globally:
- Address the gender-specific effects of climate change, particularly in areas of agriculture and natural resources.
- Bring down the gender wealth gap and empower women to access the property of land, credit, seeds, resources, …etc.
- The Decision-making process MUST be inclusive of women at all levels.
- Initiate gender-sensitive investment and capacity programs.
- Initiate education programs using innovative methodologies.
- Agriculture support services about how to use scarce resources and marketing.
- Address small farmers is a prerequisite.
Conclusion
Climate change and its adversity fall heavy on every citizen of this globe. However, women go through myriad ways to bear the burdens of catastrophes. Therefore, to avoid climate misfortune in upcoming years, efficient steps are required.
Carbon emission raised its new record despite the Covid-19 shutting down the world. It’s high time to take practical and adequate steps. Hence, systemic inclusion of women on a par basis is a must. And financing policies for climate change must be designed with the needs of women in mind.
‘When gender-differentiated knowledge is appropriately understood and addressed, interventions to strengthen livelihoods and food security are more effective and efficient (FAO, 2007).
