Nov 14, 2017
Four ways women are leading climate action
Our world is changing. From catastrophic storms destroying homes to prolonged droughts endangering rural livelihoods and rising sea levels wiping out low-lying areas, climate change is affecting people around the globe. It’s the most vulnerable, the least empowered and the poorest — many of them women — who are among the hardest hit.
From ocean preservation to sustainable farming practices, women around the world are finding ways to conserve our environment and build resilient communities.
1) Leading disaster preparedness in Viet Nam
Huong Duong is a small shopkeeper living near the Kien Giang river in My Thuy community, Viet Nam. She is now one of 30 active “communicators” (community leaders in charge of information dissemination) of My Thuy, trained by the Viet Nam Women’s Union and UN Women joint project on disaster risk reduction. In disaster-prone Viet Nam, where on average, 400 lives are lost every year due to climate disasters, the trainings can make a difference of life and death.
“When I know a storm is coming, I inform the villagers. We help each other to reinforce houses. Some people place sand and stock bags on the roofs to stabilize them. I also remind my neighbours to stock up on food and keep a portable kerosene stove or wood stove handy, so that we can cook without electricity during stormy days,” explains Duong.
2) Pioneering solar energy in Liberia
Today, in post-civil war Liberia, less than 10 per cent of the population has access to electricity. While the country tries to rebuild its infrastructure, women solar engineers are pioneering efforts to provide affordable and clean energy by installing and managing solar lamps in their communities.
Rural Liberian women, trained as solar engineers over a six-month period by Barefoot College in India, with support from UN Women, are promoting renewable solar energy that reduces dependency on expensive and polluting fossil fuels, like kerosene. The solar lamps are lighting villages and communities, enabling longer work and study hours, and bringing greater security to many, especially at night time. See the full photo essay>
3) Embracing ancestral farming techniques in Peru
The indigenous farmers of the Laramate district in Peru know what climate change looks like. They saw their crops shrivel in drought and rot under untimely rain and frost. The production suffered and their children were malnourished, until the indigenous women from the farming communities in the region turned to ancestral farming techniques with support from UN Women’s Fund for Gender Equality.
The women select healthy seeds, rotate the crops to recover soil fertility and irrigate the land more efficiently, using the methods of their ancestors. Since they no longer use agrochemicals, their products taste better and last longer.
In addition to healthier crops and improved incomes for the community, the programme has boosted indigenous women’s participation in public spaces and decision-making.
4) Championing ocean conservation in Seychelles
In Seychelles, women are spearheading sustainable practices and working to find practical solutions to counter the negative impacts of climate change and degradation of ocean environments. For an island nation, where ocean-based tourism is the backbone of the economy, their efforts are critical.
Sylvanna Antat, Marine Research Officer with the Seychelles National Parks Authority, plays a leading role in mapping coral reefs in the waters around Mahe Island in Seychelles. The health of the coral reefs is important both ecologically and economically, as reefs are important for biodiversity, and they provide protection from coastal erosion and help mitigate storm damage.
Huge numbers of plastic bags end up in the ocean, causing massive pollution and endangering marine life, as well as jeopardizing the tourism industry. In recent efforts, women played a key role in in banning plastic bags across the country.
Learn more how UN Women works with women around the world affected by climate change
